Report: Johnny Manziel to start for Browns vs. Steelers

Johnny Manziel is reportedly the likely Browns starter in Week 10 against the Steelers

The Cleveland Browns are almost certainly not going to be appearing in the NFL Playoffs after a 2-7 start to the 2015 season. It’s been a rollercoaster of injuries and inconsistency for the Browns all season and that only looks like it’s going to continue in Week 10 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. With quarterback Josh McCown still battling a rib injury, it appears that Johnny Manziel is going to get the starting nod on the road in Pittsburgh.

Mark Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported on Friday that Manziel is likely to be the starter for the Browns as they go to battle:

Manziel started for the Browns in Week 9 as well in the Browns’ Thursday Night Football loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He started off the game with a flurry of hope for Cleveland fans, but faded as the game wore on and finished the night with only a 45.5 completion percentage and 168 yards passing. On the bright side, at least he didn’t throw an interception.

For all of the things going on off of the field and with how terrible Manziel looked as a rookie, the second-year quarterback has at least shown signs of promise in his two starts and limited work this season. He’s only completed 51.8 percent of his passes, but his four touchdown passes to only one interception on the year is a vast improvement over the debacle that was his rookie year.

There was a chance that McCown would be ready for this Steelers game, but with the Browns at 2-7, it almost feels like Manziel should be getting the start from here on out. McCown isn’t the quarterback that is going to save this franchise, so why not see if there’s anything salvageable with Manziel going forward by letting him get some burn? If nothing else, at least the second half of the season will be must-watch for the Browns with Manziel taking the snaps.