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Cleveland Browns Rumors: Johnny Manziel Looking More And More Like The Team’s 2016 Starter

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 09:20 PST, Dec 27, 2015

The Cleveland Browns are rumored to be staying pat at quarterback, with reports that Johnny Manziel has been playing his way into the 2016 starting job.

Manziel’s tenure with the Browns has been rocky, to say the least. He was drafted in 2014 with plans to move him into the starting role, but Manziel failed to progress the way the team had hoped. His play on the field was lackluster, and there were rumors that he cared more about partying than learning the playbook.

This culminated with a trip to rehab after the season ended, and Johnny Manziel professed to be a new man. He looked more committed to the team and spent the offseason improving his game.

It looked as if he was progressing toward becoming the starter, but then Manziel was caught on video partying during the bye week, going against the team’s wishes for him to stay on the straight and narrow.

Despite this blip, Johnny Manziel has moved back into the starting role and now has his sights on the future. After a rift with head coach Mike Pettine, Manziel said he hopes to be back next year once again playing for Pettine.

He told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Absolutely (I respect him). He’s our head coach. I have a ton of respect for him and like I said earlier in the year when everything happened, whether I liked the situation or not and liked the outcome of what happened, I had a part in that too and I had to take responsibility and own up to that. It was on nobody else but me.

Likewise, Pettine told Pat McManamon of ESPN.com that he has a lot of respect for Manziel and what he’s gone through.

Other members of the Cleveland Browns have high praise for Johnny Manziel. Tackle Joe Thomas, who was critical of Manziel last year and accused him of failing to properly prepare, has given him a very public show of support this year.

Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo echoed the sentiment.

“The beauty of when players come out and say those things is they see what goes on not-on the field as well,” said DeFilippo. “I’m assuming that it’s his huddle presence is way better because that comes with preparation. His preparation to get to Sunday has greatly improved and drastically improved since the beginning of the season. He is learning to be an NFL quarterback. I would agree with Joe on those sentiments, yes.”

But if Johnny Manziel wants to be the starter for the Cleveland Browns in 2016, he will need a strong performance in the final two weeks of the season. The Browns have been a carousel of quarterbacks in the last decade and are desperate for some stability in the position, but still wouldn’t be hesitant to move on from Manziel if it looks like he won’t become a franchise quarterback.

Despite the rumors that he is angling for the starting job, there could be other options for the Cleveland Browns if Johnny Manziel doesn’t set himself apart in the next few weeks. There are likely to be some big names availability, including the possibility of Peyton Manning being available for a one- or two-year stint, should the Browns feel they’re ready to make a run at the playoffs.

[Picture by Jason Miller/Getty Images]

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