Johnny Manziel Could Split Time With Brian Hoyer, Coach Mike Pettine Says

Johnny Manziel will not be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns as the season begins, but the electrifying quarterback may still see time.

Browns coach Mike Pettine said the team may be finding ways to get Manziel on the field, even though Brian Hoyer has snagged the starting job.

“I think in the NFL that you do yourself a disservice if you don’t have two quarterbacks ready,” Pettine said Friday on The Opening Drive on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “And people have asked me about potentially a two-quarterback system and having a package for him. That is on the table.”

He continued, “I don’t know if that’s anything that we want to commit to just now because Brian [Hoyer] — because of the competition — is a little bit behind in the chemistry and continuity of working with that first group.”

Pettine already announced this week that Brian Hoyer will be starting in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has said throughout training camp that if the competition were close he would give the nod to the veteran Hoyer, who looked sharp for the Browns last year before suffering a season-ending injury.

“He was the clear leader from the beginning. We’ve maintained all along that if it was close, I would prefer to go with the more experienced player,” Pettine said. “Brian has done a great job in the meeting rooms and with his teammates on the practice field and in the locker room.”

Pettine didn’t elaborate just what role Johnny Manziel would serve, but it’s likely he would serve as a running threat. Though Hoyer showed in his brief time last year that he can move around the pocket when needed, Manziel offers a running threat that would keep defenses in check.

But Johnny Manziel could have other obstacles to winning the starting job. The Heisman Trophy winner, who stirred up quite a bit of controversy during his time as Texas A&M for partying, has continued his wild ways since being drafted No. 19 overall by the Browns. He has shared some controversial pictures — including partying with troubled pop star Justin Bieber — and last week raised a middle finger toward the Washington Redskins bench, earning himself a $12,000 fine from the NFL.