Statistically speaking, Johnny Manziel's second start in the NFL was better than his first. However, that is only because the quarterback was forced to leave the game against the Carolina Panthers early due to a hamstring injury. Brian Hoyer immediately stepped in for the rookie, but failed to get the win. As the Browns are now one game away from beginning what will be a busy offseason for them, figuring out what kind of quarterback Manziel is will be a priority along with the team's potential draft options.
Manziel was hit on a designed quarterback run. He was able to get up and run back to the huddle, but fell down as trainers rushed out to determine the issue. He was then taken off the field and into the locker room where he emerged from in the second half with a towel over his head. According to Manziel, he actually hurt himself on the previous play where he threw a slant route to Josh Gordon and the designed run made it worse.
Hoyer stepped in and finished the day going 7 of 13 for 134 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He is get off an 81-yard bomb to tight end Jordan Cameron, but it was lost in the losing effort. Manziel is officially questionable for the team's season finale next Sunday and for his future with the Browns. According to Manziel, he is frustrated with how things are going to so far in the NFL, telling reports he was to "be the guy" for the team.
"A very positive thing for me to get in here with these guys and this week going through the walkthrough," Manziel told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "and going through everything I was a lot sharper and a lot more on top of this stuff, and I think these guys see me and see that I'm in the building really putting in a lot of work and I want to be the guy."
Head coach Mike Pettine has stated the team is not certain what kind of quarterback they have in Manziel simply because of his lack of playing time. He could be the real deal, but the team has their doubts and now it is being reported that general manager Ray Farmer wants to explore all options at the position for the Browns.
According to May Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns are interested in potentially drafting Marcus Mariota. This is of course a long shot, but not impossible for Cleveland to pull off. In 2015, the Browns will have two mid-first round draft picks that they acquired from Buffalo. If the team were to draft tomorrow, they would own the No. 14 pick and No. 19 pick. The Browns could very easily sell both picks to move up and grab Mariota No. 1 overall. That is likely the spot they will have to be into acquire the quarterback considering the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all have their eyes on the Oregon star.
If the team cannot draft Mariota, do they take their chances on Jameis Winston? There is also the option of trading for someone like Jay Cutler or even re-signing Hoyer while Manziel develops more. Cleveland has great options to work with when it comes to the quarterback spot, but they first most determine the future of Manziel.