New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown is a journeyman playing for his 10th NFL team.
Yet, he has the Jets off to a surprising 3-4 record.
McCown ranks near the bottom of the pack of starting quarterbacks in the NFL, according to analytics website Football Outsiders.
They evaluate quarterbacks according to a defense-adjusted yards-above-replacement (DYAR) measure, and McCown’s minus-177 rating, is 29th in the league. He’s ranked ahead of Chicago’s Mike Glennon, Baltimore’s Joe Flacco and Cleveland’s DeShone Kizer.
They also rank the quarterbacks according to the defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA), and McCown has a minus-22.5 rating, which ranks 28th.
McCown has completed 153 of 221 passes (69.2 percent) for 1,583 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s been sacked 22 times and has a passer rating of 91.3.
“Josh is a veteran,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “He’s great for our locker room. He’s a team guy. He’s team-first, but he’s very competitive. Smart football player. I think injuries have held him back over the years, but he’s finally healthy.”
McCown has a 21-46 record as a starter. With the score tied against Miami in the final minute, he was intercepted by Bobby McCain, and the Dolphins won the game at the buzzer with a field goal.
“He’s playing mistake-free football for the most part,” Bowles said. “I think there are one or two balls that he’d like to have back, but we’re very happen with him from a leadership standpoint, an accuracy standpoint and just a team camaraderie standpoint. He’s been great for the younger guys in the locker room.”
McCown also has 20 rushes for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
“He’s a good quarterback,” Falcons safety Keanu Neal said. “He can toss the ball around. He can make plays on his feet as well. He’s a good quarterback.”
