The Cleveland Browns have put together a two-game winning streak after a 19-point comeback against the Tennessee Titans and a 31-10 thrashing of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And chances are we won't see Johnny Manziel play quarterback this season.
Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer has silenced the craze that initially overtook Cleveland when the team selected Johnny Manziel in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. The Browns are 3-2 with Hoyer under center and they're entering a three-game stretch that includes the Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With three winnable games, the Browns could head into their Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals with a 6-2 record.
Hoyer has largely been the reason the Browns have a winning record through six weeks. The defense has not played up to expectations, surrendering an average of 26.3 points per game in the first four contests. Hoyer led comeback wins against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 (24-of-40 for 204 yards and a touchdown) and the Tennessee Titans in Week 5 (21-of-37 for 291 yards and three touchdowns). On the season, Hoyer has completed 60.4% of his passes for 1,224 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception. All without the suspended Josh Gordon.
But what will the Browns do in the offseason? Hoyer is scheduled to become a free agent, but according to ESPN's Ed Werder, Cleveland has no interest in negotiating an extension with him right now. Hoyer ranks seventh in the NFL in total QBR with a 75.4 rating thus far into the season - ahead of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Jay Cutler and Joe Flacco, to name a few. He's also arguably the team's best starter since Derek Anderson, who last played for the team in 2009.
Hoyer does present a lot of red flags though. He's only started eight games for the Browns, bringing his grand total of NFL games to 23 in his six-year career. He's 29 years old, and the Browns already made the mistake of drafting 28-year-old Brandon Weeden in the 2012 draft. Although he has showed promise throughout his tenure with Cleveland, the team might not be looking to extend him when they have Manziel lurking in the shadows. Hoyer has expressed his interest to return to Cleveland, but he also reiterated he wants to be the starter somewhere, and that might not be guaranteed with Manziel behind him.
"I don't think I need to say any more than I'm from Cleveland and this is where I want to be," said Hoyer via Cleveland.com. "But I also am a competitor, so I want to be somewhere where I'm playing.''
The Browns could also use the franchise tag on Hoyer, but are they willing to pay that much money to get only one more year out of him when they could just throw Manziel at QB one year earlier?
The Browns are dealing with the conundrum of whether to keep Hoyer if he continues to prove successful, or begin the Manziel-era despite the rookie having no NFL experience. We'll have to wait and see what Cleveland decides as the season progresses.
