Quarterback Brian Hoyer’s chances of returning to the Cleveland Browns next seasons is about 50/50.
The chances of quarterback Brian Hoyer returning to the Cleveland Browns next season is basically a coin flip.
According to ESPN Cleveland analyst Tony Gross, Hoyer has less than a 50 percent chance of returning to the Browns next season.
Grossi: I think its less then 50/50 that Hoyer returns. Haslam hardly said anything about Hoyer yesterday, except hes just an option #Browns
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) February 12, 2015
Hoyer impressed the Browns during the 2013 season in the three starts he had. Hoyer won all three starts, throwing for 615 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions with a 59.4 completion percentage. He was the favorite to win the starting job heading into the 2014 season, as he competed with rookie Johnny Manziel for the position. As expected Hoyer did win the competition and was named to starting quarterback heading into the 2014 season.
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However, he was unable to recreate his form from that brief 2013 stint. He struggled with inconsistent and poor play and never seemed to really be in sync with his receivers. In the final three games, he lost the starting job to Johnny Manziel. In 14 games played this season, Hoyer went 7-6 while throwing for 3,326 yards, 12 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 55.3 completion percentage.
Being benched for Manziel when you’re still in the middle of a playoff race, that says a lot about what the Browns thought of his play.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslem is staying tight-lipped about his quarterback situation. He says Hoyer is still an option, but it doesn’t sound as if he is a top option. Haslem seems to be keeping all options open regarding his quarterback situation for next season.
Johnny Manziel would also be one of those options. However, Manziel has recently entered rehab to get his personality under control and repair his relationship with friends, family and teammates. There is no timetable on how long that will take, so it’s still unclear Manziel will be ready by next season, but it is likely he will be.
The Browns could also look for an out-of-house option at quarterback. The Browns do hold two first-round draft picks in this year’s draft (12th and 19th overall). It is possible they either package on of those picks for a quarterback from another team, or perhaps trade up in the draft and draft another quarterback, such as Marcus Mariotta.
There’s still a lot of time until then, and they may have a clearer picture on how Manziel is doing in his treatment. If Manziel is unable to attend training camp, they may have no choice but to resign Hoyer just for depth purposes at least.
The quarterback situation in Cleveland will most likely be a little clearer after the draft.
H/T to Tony Grossi at ESPN Cleveland
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