The Cleveland Browns have turned to Johnny Manziel as the starter in Week 15 and now that he is under center, any thoughts of trading him arte likely off the table, as the team may not sign Brian Hoyer back long term and in doing so, he will be a target for teams like the Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans on the free agent market this offseason.
Manziel has been a steady professional on the field and in practice this season according to some Browns players and now he has the chance to start for the first time. Hoyer had been ineffective over the last few weeks and in his current run he has 10 picks and just one touchdown. The play of Hoyer forced Mike Pettine to make a move and if Manziel plays well, he likely will hold onto the starting job for the rest of the season. Manziel has the chance to stick around long term and after the way Hoyer has played recently, he likely will be gone after this season.
There was some trade talk about Manziel with Hoyer putting the Browns in playoff position, but now all that talk has dissipated. According to Pro Football Talk, Hoyer will be targeted by a number of teams next offseason, including the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans, as those teams may have new quarterbacks next season. The Raiders have liked how Derek Carr has played and there is a chance they stick with him and do not make a major move in the offseason.
The Browns have lost two of the past three games and now they have a tough matchup with the Colts and Andrew Luck on Sunday. The team had won three straight before losing to the Texans and after pulling out the win against the Falcons, they lost to the Bills. Over those two games Hoyer had zero TDs and five picks and that is one reason why Manziel got some playing time. Manziel could get put in again if Hoyer struggles, but Pettine feels that this is the best course of action.
This season Hoyer has 3064 yards and 11 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and he has been completing just 56 percent of his passes this year. Manziel came in and threw for 63 yards on five passes and he also rushed for a touchdown to score the first TD of his career. Manziel is the future here, but Hoyer is heading into free agency and this could be the last chance for him to show why he should be the long term option. The Browns will have to decide after the season whether or not they want to keep Hoyer.
Mike Pettine said that Hoyer gives the team the best chance to win this week and since they are in the middle of a playoff race, he felt it was right to stick with the veteran. This will be the 13th straight start for Hoyer and comes as the Browns are 7-5 on the season and still alive in the AFC playoff race and the AFC north division race as well. The team has Manziel as the QB of the future and some major questions about Hoyer for next season, but right now they are looking to just win on Sunday.