Josh McCown has admitted that having to compete for the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback role with Johnny Manziel would be a "distraction".

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback joined the AFC North side earlier this year, and is expected to begin the season as starter, with Manziel having spent part of the off-season in rehab.

The 35-year-old told Cleveland.com: "More than anything, for me, I just believe it takes away from any kind of distraction that you can have and the team can just move in one direction, regardless of who that guy is.

"It's helpful to just say, 'this is our guy until something happens and he's not our guy.' But I agree with that philosophy and that approach. It doesn't take anything away from our group and it doesn't take away from what Johnny and Thad [Lewis] and Connor [Shaw] are doing. We're all working together."

McCown passed for 2,206 yards and 11 touchdowns in 11 games with the Buccaneers last season.