The San Francisco 49ers face the Cleveland Browns next Sunday, and there seems to be a chance Johnny Manziel will get the starting nod. I am hedging my bets on this because there are all sorts of random tidbits about Manziel's status with the team.
ESPN analyst Tony Grossi tweeted that he is hearing the Browns will announce Manziel as the quarterback for the remainder of the season. Browns head coach Mike Pettine has his day after press conference on Monday, and he will likely announce any decision then.
The other side of this is a report during the Browns loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns did not give Manziel an opportunity even as they were getting crushed by Cincinnati. Austin Davis got the start in place of an injured Josh McCown, and played the whole game. PFT reported during the game that a source believes Manziel has "squandered the trust of teammates."
If Manziel does not have the trust of his teammates, would it make sense to send him out in the starting lineup? He was set to start the rest of the year coming out of the Browns bye, but then some bye week partying resulted in him being demoted to third string. Josh McCown moved back into the starting lineup, and then got hurt. If McCown were healthy, I doubt they would have replaced him with Manziel. So if they are unhappy with Manziel, does moving him back into the starting lineup help? The whole thing is such a mess.