The case for, and against, keeping Johnny Manziel

Oct 4, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) passes before the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

The Cleveland Browns have several questions to answer this off-season, starting with the future of Johnny Manziel.

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson has been a busy man since taking over as the latest person tasked with turning around the fortunes of the franchise.

Jackson has been working to build his coaching staff, evaluating the current roster and making the rounds with the local and national media.

In the coming weeks Jackson, along with executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta, will face the biggest question of them all, one that has eluded every coach and front office combination to roam the halls of team headquarter’s in Berea since 1993.

What to do with the quarterback situation?

“It’s my opinion we need a quarterback.” – Browns head coach Hue Jackson

Without naming names, Jackson has described what he wants from his quarterback.

“Outside of all of the physical characteristics that we look for in a quarterback, the thing I’m looking for is a guy that’s going to be the face of the franchise,” Jackson said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Somebody that our players can rally behind, somebody that our fans can rally behind, that they believe that this guy has a chance to go out week in and week out and win games, a guy that can help elevate this football team, not anybody that’s going to tear it down because I think it’s too hard in the National Football League to have a guy like that.

“[We need someone who is] all-consumed with one thing: being the best quarterback he can be and being the best leader he can be. That’s the kind of guy I’m looking for.”

The Browns hold the No. 2 overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, which should allow them to select a quarterback if that is the direction they want to go. In some ways it is really an easy decision – if they believe there is a quarterback in the draft that is better than what they currently have, then they select him.

A big part of how the Browns approach the draft and the overall quarterback conundrum depends on how they view quarterback Johnny Manziel‘s future with the team.

“Anytime things are not done the correct way with any player at any position, it would be a non-starter with me.” – Hue Jackson

If Jackson believes he can work his magic on Manziel, the Browns can fill another hole on the roster with that second pick. If not, then we very well may be seeing the Browns draft a quarterback in the first round for the eighth time in franchise history and fifth time since 1999.

The case for Johnny Manziel

The best case for keeping Manziel is that the current state of the quarterback position is less than ideal.

Austin Davis, Connor Shaw and Pat Devlin are essentially inter-changeable. They may be nice players to have on the roster for a practice arm, but you don’t want to call on either of them until the season finale, when you have no other choice.

Josh McCown was a surprise with his play this season, but he is nothing more than a very temporary solution to the problem.

McCown will turn 37 before the new season kicks off in September, and after missing half the season this past fall, it would be hard to count on him for 16 games.

And while we don’t put as much value in a quarterback’s won-loss “record” as some people want to do, the reality is that McCown is probably just good enough as a quarterback to make sure his team loses without being embarrassed in the process.

Manziel is clearly a more-skilled quarterback than Davis, Shaw or Devlin, and has the advantage of youth over McCown.

“There’s criteria that we’re going to look at to determine if the players really need to be here or if they’ve earned the right to be here to be considered a Cleveland Brown.” – Hue Jackson

Manziel also showed flashes of what he could be as an NFL quarterback this season, especially in his starts against the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers.

Against those two teams, Manziel completed 63 percent of his passes for 442 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and the Browns posted two of their three wins on the year.

Manziel’s biggest selling point is his potential. He won’t turn 24 until near the end of the 2016 season, and is under contract for two more years at a very reasonable price.

The case against Johnny Manziel

If the Browns decide they are ready to cut ties with Manziel, there are plenty of easily justifiable reasons.

First off is Manziel’s play on the field.

Outside of those games against the Titans and 49ers, Manziel has been a disaster – and that’s not even taking into consideration his rookie season.

Manziel appeared in nine games this past season, making six starts and playing all but the opening series of the season-opening game against the New York Jets.

Against the Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs, Manziel completed 56 percent of his passes for 1,019 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. The Browns lost all five games and only scored an average of 11 points per game.

Unfortunately for Manziel, the NFL schedule includes more than games against the Titans and 49ers.

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All told, Manziel finished the year having completed just 57.4 percent of his passes (ranking him 33rd in a 32-team league) and posted a quarterback rating of 79.4 (ranking him 31st).

Some of Manziel’s on-the-field flaws are potentially correctable, and Jackson has a reputation for developing quarterbacks. But much of that work was done as a quarterback coach (in Baltimore) or as an offensive coordinator (in Cincinnati); now that he is the head coach he likely will not have time to work as closely with just one player on fundamentals.

Then there are the numerous off-the-field incidents, which are well-known enough that we don’t need to repeat them.

Finally, while Manziel has potential, that may not carry as much weight as it once did. He is now two years into his NFL career and any highlight plays he may have been a part of on a Saturday afternoon in College Station are fading away.

While it is possible that the Browns will give it another year with Manziel to see what Jackson and his offensive staff can do, the Browns have options and it seems more and more likely that they already have (or are planning to) move on.

“If there is a quarterback there at pick No. 2 or pick No. 32 that we feel is the best option, the best fit for our organization, for our football team, then we need to go get him,” Jackson said. “I do believe that this team does need a quarterback.”

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