The Cleveland Browns had everyone's attention at the NFL scouting combine when head coach Mike Pettine took the podium. Johnny Manziel has been one of the main headlines of the brief NFL offseason after the quarterback reportedly entered a rehab facility. Pettine confirmed that he has spoken with Manziel and visited with him since the quarterback stepped away. He made it clear the Browns were committed to helping Manziel, but Cleveland is still looking for answers at the quarterback position.
Pettine wanted to make it clear that the Browns were committed to helping Manziel any way they can as rumors continue to rise about the team's interest in bringing on a new quarterback.
"We had the same information everyone else in the league had," Pettine said, via ESPN.com. "It's easy to look back now and say, 'What did you miss?' You can interpret something a little bit differently now and it turns out to be a deeper-rooted thing than you thought. I just wanted to go visit him and see how he's doing, let him know that we're proud of him for the decision he made to go in. Obviously he has our full support. ... He stepped up and said, 'I need help.'"
The Browns might be committed to keeping Manziel on the team, but they are also committed to solving their quarterback issue which might not involve the former Texas A&M star. According to Pettine, the team is looking at quarterbacks while at the NFL scouting combine and will also seek a contract extension for Brian Hoyer who is approaching free agency. Armed with two first-round draft picks, the Browns could easily trade up to grab Marcus Mariota who the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports is the favorite for the team. The Browns might only have to trade up to the No. 2 pick in order to get him, but must be committed to taking the risk on another rookie.
According to ProFootballTalk.com, the Browns have also met with Josh McCown about a potential contract while being connected to a trade for Kirk Cousins. The team can take their quarterback issues in a number of directions to get solved, but they must determine just how committed to Manziel they really are. If Pettine feels that Manziel could develop into a star, drafting Mariota is a waste. However, if they feel that Manziel is simply never going to live up to the hype, jumping up in the draft might be the best option.
