The Cleveland Browns have Johnny Manziel set to start Thursday over Josh McCown in Week 9 after the quarterback suffered an injury against the Cardinals. The Browns are dealing with some injuries on offense and that will put the focus on Duke Johnson, Gary Barnidge, Travis Benjamin and Isaiah Crowell for Manziel against the Bengals.
Manziel is making his second start of the season on Thursday night football and it comes after he started against the Titans in Week 2. According to Pro Football Talk, head coach Mike Pettine confirmed the news about Manziel on Wednesday and Manziel said to the media that he is "excited" to get the start and that he feels ready despite it being a short week with the Thursday game. Manziel has 393 passing yards and three touchdowns with one interception in four games played this season.
The Browns have Manziel starting for McCown in the game and the quarterback is not the only player that will be out, as Pro Football Talk reports that five other players are listed as out for the game. McCown along with Joe Haden, Donte Whitner, Brian Hartline and Andrew Hawkins all will be out, which opens things up more for Barnidge and Benjamin on offense for Thursday.
Benjamin has put up solid numbers this season and he should see some increased targets with Hartline and Hawkins out. Benjamin has added value as a return man and he comes in with 601 receiving yards and four touchdowns in eight games this season. Barnidge has been one of the best surprises in the NFL this season and he comes in with 40 catches for 567 yards and four touchdowns. Last week Barnidge had another strong game with seven catches and he is now on pace for over 1000 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
The running back situation has Duke Johnson and Isaiah Crowell as the best options for the Browns and Johnson could be the high upside pick of the week. Pettine said to the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he wants to get Johnson more touches and that could start on Thursday night. Johnson has been solid out of the backfield as a receiver and he could get a boost if Crowell doesn't start off well. Last week Crowell had just 14 yards 10 carries against the Cardinals and Pettine may want to shake things up this week.
The Browns have placed tight end Rob Housler on injured reserve this week, according to Pro Football Talk. Housler was signed in the offseason to help with the loss of Jordan Cameron, but the team did not end up using him much and he finishes off with just one catch in six games. Housler injured his hamstring and that made it tough for him to get on the field and on top of that Barnidge has broken out as the top tight end option this season for the Browns.
The Browns also were mentioned in trade rumors leading into the deadline, as the team discussed a deal with the Denver Broncos involving Joe Thomas. According to Pro Football Talk, Mike Klis of KUSA reports that the two sides could not agree on draft pick compensation for the deal and that is why it did not go through. The Broncos reportedly offered multiple draft picks, including a first round pick in 2017.
