The earliest Browns quarterback Josh McCown could return to practice is Friday, Browns coach Mike Pettine said, so the team will practice Wednesday and Thursday this week with Johnny Manziel preparing to be the starter for Sunday’s game vs. the Titans.
Asked if McCown could still start Sunday after missing essentially two-thirds of the work leading up to the game, Pettine said “we will be prepared either way.”
So, no decision is coming until at least Friday -- unless McCown has a setback or eventually isn’t cleared.
Manziel, who started two games last December, threw his first career touchdown pass last week after McCown was injured on the Browns’ first drive but turned the ball over three times in the second half.
Manziel missed two weeks of practice and the team’s final two preseason games with a sore elbow. Pettine said the team would limit his throws in practice to full team work but that he’s not “overly concerned with it.”
Pettine said linebacker Karlos Dansby will miss Wednesday’s practice with a foot injury and is “day to day” as the Browns prepare for their home opener.