The Cleveland Browns sounded like a team with buyer’s remorse last season after spending a first round pick on Johnny Manziel, a college football rock star and bad boy with big numbers and a bad reputation. Manziel’s talent won him a Heisman in the college ranks, but at the NFL level he received a rude awakening.
Manziel completed barely half his passes in five games (two starts), while throwing no touchdowns, two interceptions, and quickly suffering a season-ending injury. Adding insult to injury, he was lambasted by teammates, checked into rehab, and faced the specter of being cut one year into his career.
Manziel’s out of rehab now, but he will have to work very hard to get back on the field. This offseason the Browns signed Josh McCown to a three-year, $14 million. That’s not exactly backup money, and McCown’s not taking backup repetitions in OTAs.
Last season was an underwhelming campaign for McCown, who threw 11 touchdowns against 14 interceptions and went 1-10 in 11 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who let him go and drafted a quarterback with the first overall pick of this draft.
The year prior, however, McCown was lights out when he took over for an injured Jay Cutler with the Bears. He threw 13 touchdowns and just one pick in five starts in the Windy City, and while neither extreme represents him, his veteran status will not be easy for Manziel to overtake. According to reports from OTAs though Manziel has been showing an improved effort toward living up to his Round 1 billing.
If Manziel can get a handle on his playbook—and stay away from off-the-field trouble—he might be able to sneak back into Cleveland’s plans.
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