Cleveland Browns Rumors: Marcus Mariota Trade Denied After Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel Confidence? Randall Cobb, Jeremy Maclin Favored Over Andre Johnson

Mar 06, 2015 09:12 AM EST
Johnny Manziel
Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel hands the ball off during a 2014 home game."

The Cleveland Browns have made strides to improve their quarterback situation for 2015. The team acquired Josh McCown, a veteran they believe can hold the offense together for the short-term and mentor the player set to be the long-term option. The Browns have yet to figure out who that long-term option is exactly. The team has Johnny Manziel on the roster, but he is an even bigger question mark than before he was drafted. With a Marcus Mariota trade tough to come by, what will Cleveland do?

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns are prepared to make a big offer to acquire Mariota in the draft. However, is it worth the gamble? The quarterback trade will not come cheap for Cleveland. They have multiple first-round picks to package together, but that could seriously hurt their future going forward. The Washington Redskins are proof that selling the farm for one player is not worth the risk.

The Browns simply need to determine their exact commitment to Manziel and right now it appears everyone is on board the Money Manziel train. Newly hired offensive coordinator John DeFilippo has big plans for both McCown and Manziel along with third-stringer Connor Shaw. The coordinator told the media that he wants his players to surround themselves with the position and take on the mentality that the quarterback job is a lifestyle and that starts with Manziel.

"You need to lay it out," DelFilippo said, via the team website. "They don't know anything when they walk in the building. It's like a freshman in college. You have to map out there week for them. I know from a protection standpoint and a route structure standpoint, they were very limited in what they did at Texas A&M. Does that mean what they did was bad? Not in any so way. They had a ton of success, but it's very different than what a quarterback is asked to do at an NFL level. It's not just a job. It's all-consuming. You need to sleep, eat, do everything fast, and just think football all the time"

For now, the Browns sound very invested in the McCown, Manziel rotation. The team will likely sniff around at a deal for Mariota, but do not appear set on giving up everything to get him. The team needs wide receivers, offensive linemen and linebackers in 2015. Adding another rookie quarterback might not be the key.

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