At 2-6, the Browns are likely already preparing for next season, but Josh McCown's injury may have cost them a draft pick.

Tuesday marked the NFL trade deadline and Cleveland could have possibly dealt their incumbent quarterback for a selection in next year's draft. Now, don't get us wrong, teams aren't exactly falling all over themselves to land McCown, but the Browns could have yielded a low selection in the draft had they been able to deal away the signal caller.

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McCown left Sunday's 34-20 loss to the Cardinals with a rib injury and was replaced by Johnny Manziel. Cleveland announced Tuesday that Johnny Football will be under center during the team's quick turnaround when it battles the undefeated Bengals (7-0) on "Thursday Night Football" this week in Cincinnati.

Manziel, fresh off of a domestic incident with his girlfriend Colleen Crowley, is faced with the unenviable task of playing on the road with his team on short rest against an unbeaten Bengals team. And oh yeah, Cincinnati's defense is seventh in the league with 18.9 points allowed per game. Good luck, Johnny Football.

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The Browns were screwed in more ways than one, though, as not only are the odds stacked against Manziel on Thursday, but the team couldn't use McCown as a trade chip to build for the future. While he wouldn't net anything too substantial, the team could have landed a draft pick by shipping him out of town. There are plenty of teams in need of some help at the sport's most vital position.

The Jets are in desperate need of a signal caller as both their No. 1 starter and backup are questionable for Week 9. Ryan Fitzpatrick (thumb) will eventually need surgery to repair ligament damage, while Geno Smith (shoulder) is also day-to-day. New York faces the daunting possibility of inexperienced rookie Bryce Petty making his NFL debut Sunday, albeit against the lowly Jaguars.

Dallas was another possible option as the Cowboys are still without Tony Romo (collarbone) and the trio of Matt Cassel, Brandon Weeden and Kellen Moore leave a lot to be desired. The team didn't have a single touchdown in their loss to the Seahawks last week.

Though the Browns could have made a move, the injury to McCown negated a possible trade before the deadline.

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