If Johnny Manziel is the future of the Cleveland Browns, he is doing a bad job of proving it. According to head coach Mike Pettine, Manziel has been benched following pictures that surfaced of the quarterback partying in Texas during the team's bye week. Josh McCown will start in his place for the short-term while the Browns figure out what the long-term option is. While rumors of trades or releases circle around the quarterback, Pettine stressed the Browns have not quit on Manziel.
Pettine admitted that he was very disappointed in Manziel following the photos. He noted that the bye week was a test for the quarterback and he certainly did not pass. With Pettine stressing accountability, Manziel needs to find it as he hopes this is not the end of the quarterback's time in Cleveland.
"I certainly hope not," Pettine said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He's made great progress and there was no better proof than last Sunday against Pittsburgh. But sometimes, you gotta take a step back to take a few forward. ... We told him yesterday -- this isn't a dead end. This is a hurdle. It's an obstacle. So, part of success in athletics is dealing with adversity, and this will be an example of it."
McCown could find himself the starter for the rest of the season. The Browns are not making the playoffs this season and they will be in need of some rebuilding in the offseason. That could very much include the quarterback position as Marc Sessler of NFL.com predicts potential bigger changes to come for the Browns.
Bleacher Reports' Jason Cole reports the Browns are eyeing a trade for Matthew Stafford which would give the team a starting quarterback without any question marks. Colin Kaepernick is reportedly not in the running along with Robert Griffin III as both quarterbacks have not received much interest in trade deals. That could leave someone like Zach Mettenberger or Mike Glennon as potential targets if the Browns want to make a trade over signing someone. In free agency, Sam Bradford and Kirk Cousins lead the charge. Bradford has reportedly said he has no interest in Cleveland while Cousins is likely to get a contract offer from the Washington Redskins.
The decision with Manziel could be a defining moment in the tenure of Pettine. The quarterback has had more off-the-field issues than Cleveland wants to deal with. As other options surface for the Browns to look at, Manziel could be out of the running and headed elsewhere.
