Buffalo Bills wasting their time on Josh McCown

The Buffalo Bills might only be a quarterback away from contending, which explains why they’re reportedly in talks with free-agent pivot Josh McCown. But the reality is there are much better options out there than a 35-year-old coming off a season in which he posted an abysmal passer rating of 70.5, ranking 32th among the 33 qualified quarterbacks.

With 13 touchdown passes and only one interception, McCown was actually the league’s third-highest-rated qualified passer in 2013, which is the only reason he’s been getting any attention as a free agent this year. But that season was an aberration within a small relief sample size for a quarterback who has swung and missed as a member of 25 percent of the league’s rosters during his career.

There’s a reason the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave up on him.

The Bills don’t have a first-round pick and won’t be in contention for draft hot-shots Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston, but that shouldn’t discourage them. As I’ve established, quarterbacks are rarely if ever worth first-round gambles these days anyway, and a lot of gems are being found elsewhere.

McCown is not a potential gem.

The Bills would be better off giving an opportunity to a younger passer with a higher ceiling. Impending unrestricted free agents Brian Hoyer, Shaun Hill and Mark Sanchez all started at least half of their teams’ games in 2014 and posted stronger numbers than McCown. That trio is younger, with former first-round pick Sanchez possessing far more upside than any of the four dudes I’ve mentioned.

Ryan Mallett and Jake Locker are also 20-somethings who could pay off in a bigger way and have more gas in their tanks, and don’t forget former first-rounder Jay Cutler, who is still under contract with the Chicago Bears but could become available soon via either trade or free agency (depending on what Chicago decides to do with him).

All of those quarterbacks would probably cost more than old man McCown, but can you really put a price on a potential franchise quarterback, even if it’s a longshot? The Bills shouldn’t, especially because they have over $30 million worth of cap space and may indeed become a contender with the right man under center.

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com (covering Super Bowls XLIV, XLV and XLVI), a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Bloguin, but his day gig has him covering all things NFC East for Bleacher Report.

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