The Cleveland Browns traded up to draft running back Trent Richardson, seemingly to help take pressure off quarterback Colt McCoy, but a different QB might be the beneficiary of that choice.
Browns general manager Tom Heckert said Thursday that the team is considering trading McCoy after drafting quarterback Brandon Weeden with its second first-round pick, No. 22 overall, from Oklahoma State.
"It's something we'll talk about tonight and tomorrow," Heckert said, according to The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer.
Heckert said the Browns selected Weeden to be a future starter -- perhaps immediately. Unlike his peers in the draft, Weeden is 28 years old after pursuing a career in baseball. It's unlikely that the Browns would make him sit too long before getting a shot.
"I wasn't concerned about his age," said Browns coach Pat Shurmur, who went 4-12 in a tumultuous first season. "I was impressed with his maturity and production on tape. We became very fond of him."
Shurmur told ESPN's Bob Holtzman he spoke to McCoy Friday afternoon. Shurmur told Holtzman that McCoy is "doing fine" and that "he gets it, we're all grown-ups."
When asked if McCoy would report May 22 to the Browns' minicamp, Shurmur told Holtzman, "I'm not ready to commit to that."
McCoy, a former third-round pick, made 13 starts last season before missing the final three games with a concussion. The 25-year-old is 6-15 as a starter for the Browns.
A potential complication for the Browns is what's seen as a limited market for backup quarterbacks. Seven teams acquired backups in unrestricted free agency this offseason, while another nine backups have re-signed with their teams.
The selection of Weeden came after the Browns told McCoy on draft day that they wouldn't take a quarterback in the first round, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. The Browns have denied telling McCoy that.
"I was hoping that this would happen," said Weeden, who spent draft day at home in Oklahoma. "This night went just as I hoped."
The Browns had planned to take Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright with the pick, but lost out when Wright was chosen by the Titans at No. 20, a source told Schefter.
Richardson was taken with the third pick of the draft from Alabama.
"I don't know if we transformed the offense, but we've gotten better," Heckert said. "That was the goal."
Information from ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton, ESPN's Bob Holtzman and The Associated Press was used in this report.