Johnny Manziel's future with the Cleveland Browns is still relatively unknown. While the quarterback appears to be trending upwards in terms of falling back into favor with his coaches and teammates, it is still uncertain whether or not the team favors keeping him around for the long-term or not. Several players are facing this dilemma with the Browns as position battles take over the offense making some players expendable.
Manziel ended OTAs and minicamp with mixed reviews. While teammates stated he return more mature and focused this season, his performance on the field was questionable as bobbled snaps and inaccurate throws were more present than not. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, head coach Mike Pettine has denied the Browns are done with Manziel, but this season will be crucial in determining whether or not he makes it another year on the roster.
NFL.com linked the Browns to multiple quarterback moves in 2016. Philip Rivers, Sam Bradford and Nick Foles will all be available along with promising backups like Kirk Cousins. McCown is clearly not the long-term option for Cleveland given his age and Manziel is running out of opportunities to prove he is the worthy replacement. If Cleveland can get their hands on another top quarterback, Manziel will be facing more trade rumors than even before.
The same can be said for Terrance West who is falling back on the depth chart heading into training camp. ESPN.com predicts that Isaiah Crowell will get the starting nod at running back for Week 1 while Duke Johnson continues to gain speed with the team. The battle will be for West to prove he is equally as versatile as Johnson who will play both a running back and wide receiver role for the Browns. If made available, West would be targeted by several teams in the league all needing a running back upgrade, but are too afraid to sign Ray Rice.
The Browns are trying to create more of an identity on offense. McCown starts that while Crowell and Johnson add to it. Pettine has praised Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline as being a solid one-two punch for the Browns while it is up to the rest of the players to determine where they fit. With less than a month before training camp begins, players like Manziel and West must show improvement in order to stick around.
