Colt McCoy: Prototype backup QB could be important member of New York Giants

How important will veteran backup quarterback Colt McCoy be to the New York Giants in the 2020 NFL season? Let’s take a closer look as we continue profiling the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp.

The basics

Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 212
Age: 34 in September
Position: Quarterback
Experience: 10
Contract: One-year, $2.25 million | Guaranteed: $1.7 million

How he got here

McCoy signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Giants this offseason to become Daniel Jones’ primary backup. The backup role is one McCoy is well-acquainted with. He’s done that since 2012 with the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and for the last six years with the Washington Redskins.

McCoy was drafted in the third round by the Browns in 2010. He started eight games that season and 13 in 2011. He has started only seven and played in only 19 since.

“Playing backup creates a lot of challenges ... it’s unique but I just sort of try to be another set of eyes, another set of ears, another encouraging voice and like a coach for whoever the starter is,” McCoy said in a conference call with New York media after he was signed.

“It will help me if I want to make a transition some day to be a coach, to call plays. I want to understand and learn this system in a way that is detailed, it’s structured and that I could call the game just like Jason [Garrett] would call the game.”

McCoy has continued to seek new experiences in, and new knowledge of the game. He has admitted an interesting in coaching.

“What if I wanted to be a coach some day?,” McCoy said. “I’ve been in a lot of different systems. My dad was my high school coach. I’ve been a water boy since I was like 3 years old. I’ve been around the game and love the game. ...

“Coaching intrigues me, yes. I think that that could be in my future.”

2020 outlook

McCoy could be a very important part of the 2020 Giants. Shoot, Cooper Rush, Alex Tanney and even undrafted free agent Case Kookus could end up being important.

It is always important to have a quality backup quarterback. As they say, the backup is always one play away from being the starter. In 2020, that backup is also one COVID-19 outbreak away from being the starter. For several weeks. On top of which, if an outbreak affects an entire group of quarterbacks on the Giants or any other team who plays is simply going to come down to who is not sick.

McCoy’s experience, including having gone through the 2011 lockout season, should help Daniel Jones in a number of ways. If they need McCoy on the field, it should be a comfort to the Giants that they have a player who is the prototype for what many teams want their backup quarterback to be.