Sources close to Johnny Manziel insist he's a changed man. The 25-year-old quarterback told NFL reporters that he intended to take his second season "more seriously" after his struggles with partying and poor play in 2014.

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However, if Manziel is out the prove that he's a different guy, he's going to have to do so under the white hot spotlight.

That's because his Cleveland Browns are now frontrunners to be chronicled on the new season of Hard Knocks, the popular HBO series that picks an NFL team to follow through the preseason each year. Manziel's return from rehab, and his role in the Browns' quarterback competition, would undoubtedly be one of the main attractions of such a series.

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The Browns are one of nine teams eligible to be selected by the league for Hard Knocks (provided other, exempted teams don't volunteer themselves). Those franchises are the Rams, Buccaneers, Vikings, Jaguars, Giants, Texans, Redskins, and Titans.

News of the Browns' potential involvement was first broken by Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News.