Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens, September 18, 2016

Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown prepares to get hit by Baltimore Ravens defensive end Timmy Jernigan in the second half of the home opener. It was one of many shots McCown absorbed in Sunday's loss.

(Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Josh McCown's left shoulder injury is believed to be serious and the Browns are gearing up to start rookie Cody Kessler or another quarterback if they determine Kessler isn't ready, a league source tells cleveland.com.

McCown will undergo an MRI on the shoulder today, but based on the amount of pain he's in, he'll likely be out an extended period of time.

One source said: "It's not looking good for McCown.''

Kessler, the Browns' third-round pick out of USC, is next in line to start. But if the Browns deem him not ready, they'll bring in a veteran to hold down the fort. They begin a grueling stretch of four out of their next five on the road, beginning Sunday in Miami.

McCown's injury, suffered in Sunday's 25-20 loss to the Ravens, came one week after Robert Griffin III fractured a bone in his left shoulder. Griffin is out at least 8-12 weeks, but could miss the entire season. He's currently on injured reserve for at least eight weeks.

McCown suffered the injury in the first quarter after helping the Browns to a 20-0 lead with two touchdowns passes to Corey Coleman. They also scored on an 85-yard TD blast by Isaiah Crowell in a fast and furious opening stanza.



But the game unraveled on a blocked extra point attempt, the same time McCown was heading to the locker room to have his shoulder examined. He came back out at the start of the second quarter. He was checked again on the sidelines in the third quarter, but refused to come out. The Ravens scored 25 straight points while McCown was gutting it out through the pain.

Josh McCown to undergo MRI Monday, guts it out through painful shoulder in 25-20 loss

Kessler warmed up both times, and almost had to play, Hue Jackson said.



McCown had X-rays after the game, and his left arm hung close to his side as he walked back into the locker room. He was in so much pain he needed help putting on his T-shirt. At times, he grimaced.



He put on a brave face during his post-game press conference, but it was evident he was in pain.

He also welled up with tears when describing how badly he wanted to be out there for his teammates and to set a good example for his two young sons, both middle-school quarterbacks, who came up from Charlotte, N.C., for the game.

"It's just not wanting to not be out there with your guys,'' McCown said, his eyes red and ready to brim over. "I have a dad and an older brother who get up and go to work and sometimes they don't feel great and they go. They go and they grind. I have two little boys that are playing football now. They get hit and they get banged up, and I am trying to teach them what toughness means.

"For me, it's those things and just knowing the window for me right now and understanding that I don't want to miss snaps. I don't want to be out there without my guys. Unless it is going to fall off, let's try to make it work and make it go. That's my mentality.''

Kessler was inspired by McCown's gutsy performance.

"As soon as I got in here, I told him, 'it might not mean much coming from me, but that was one of the coolest things I've ever seen,'' he said. "It kind of just gave me chills. I look up to him as a player and I respect him so much. That was pretty cool. I know he's tough. I could tell he was in pain. But he kept fighting through it. That's just how competitive he is.''

Kessler said he actually "over-prepared'' throughout the week just in case.

"It's a physical game and you always have to be ready,'' he said. "It's kind of a next-man-up mentality and I prepared as hard as I could all week. I didn't have any nervousness or anxiousness, I was ready to go. Just because of my prep all week and learning from Josh and listening to what he did. watching the reps he did and getting more reps in practice. I felt ready to go. If that did happen, I had the mindset of going in as the starter.''

He vowed to be ready this week if he has to face the Dolphins.

"If I did, I'm going to keep the same prep I've been doing the whole time,'' he said. "For me it's been just the process, getting the process down and continue to grow each week, continue to learn. Last week I got more reps and I felt more comfortable getting to go in with the offense, instead of doing the scout team the whole time. It's the mentality you have to have. I have to continue to prepare as the starter, and I told you guys that from Day 1.''

Kessler has gone from inactive third quarterback to possible starter in the span of a week.

"It's a violent game and injuries happen and things you can't prevent,'' he said. "That's why I've been doing what I've been doing. If I had to go in and that opportunity came up, I didn't want to be freaking out. That's something that I've always done, even back in high school or going to USC when I wasn't the starter there.''

In addition to Kessler, the Browns have rookie Kevin Hogan on their practice squad and Terrelle Pryor as their emergency third quarterback.