Let me start by saying that the futility in Cleveland is laughably absurd. Ray Farmer, GM of the Browns, has no idea what he's doing with the roster and may not have an idea of what NFL rules are. Farmer decided not to help his handpicked quarterback of the future, more on that in a minute, and neglected the wide receiver position in free agency and the draft. The two "notable" moves he made were giving Terrelle Pryor a tryout (since cut, still trying to catch on as a wide receiver somewhere after showing he will never be an NFL QB) and signing Dwayne Bowe. Bowe had a monster campaign in 2010 with over 1,100 yards and 15 TDs but has gotten worse each season since. Not exactly a trend that most teams would pay money for, but hey, this is the Browns. True, Travis Benjamin has been a revelation this season, but he's in his fourth year and has never produced much of anything before this year. Maybe he just needed a chance and maybe he'll burn out - who knows but my money's on the latter. Farmer, I'm sure with some input from owner Jimmy Haslam, also decided that to stop the rotating door of Cleveland QBs he would draft Johnny Manziel. He probably thought Russell Wilson is doing pretty good, and Manziel is slightly taller and slightly more athletic, so Manziel will probably pan out. He was wrong when he drafted Manziel and he's still wrong.
Mike Pettine, head coach of the Browns, isn't doing much better at trying to turn around the franchise. He's helped coach up one of the best secondaries in the NFL and inherited what should be one of the best offensive lines in football, but he's made matters worse by deciding that Josh McCown gives the team a better chance to win and hasn't put in any effort in developing Manziel as a quarterback. Yeah, Manziel didn't help himself in college and his first pro season by living up to his Johnny Football persona, but reports this year have indicated that he's now willing to put in the effort to improve himself. If the Browns actually believe that Manziel could be the future for the franchise, why do they continue to insist that a 36-year old journeyman is the better option right now? Obviously the coaching staff has zero confidence in Manziel, but the best move forward for the team would be to start him the rest of the season no matter what. He'll have good games and more than his share of bad games and moments, but he needs to play so the Browns can evaluate the position more clearly in the offseason. No matter who starts they're most likely going to be in a great position to draft a QB early in the 2016 draft anyway.
But Manziel's future in the league is not as a quarterback. If it hasn't been obvious so far, I have severe doubts that Manziel could even be a competent back up. Instead I think he could have a decent NFL future as a wide receiver. There is a lot of precedent for making such a move as several players have done it. The two most prominent being Hines Ward and Julian Edelman. Manziel will never be the quality players that Ward was and Edelman is, but plenty of other guys have made the switch and managed to stay in the league a decent amount of time. Players such as Antwaan Randle El, Denard Robinson, Joshua Cribbs, and Brad Smith have done decently enough. Terrelle Pryor is still trying to find his footing but he should be ok. Even Braxton Miller, former Ohio State quarterback, figured out his future was at another position and has made the change during his final season of NCAA eligibility.
But what receiving position would Manziel play? Well, based on his rushing ability in college and his skill set, playing the slot would be his best bet. Throw him some quick outs and slants and let him try to create plays after the catch. You could even run some reverses and have him throw from a reverse every once in awhile. The question is, would Manziel buy into this? Is he as stubborn as Tim Tebow who is out of the league (again) after refusing to make a position switch? Can he be mature enough to realize his own shortcomings and make a decision that could prolong his playing career? Or his he vying for a position alongside Tebow with the SEC-Network? Only time will tell but officials in Cleveland need to think of this and approach him about making the switch - but then again it's Cleveland.
In a perfect scenario, the coaching staff would have him make the switch now. Give him a couple or few weeks to practice his new position and keep it simple for him while he transitions. And McCown wouldn't be the one throwing him the ball. Rather, Connor Shaw should get a chance to show what he can do. Having Manziel in the slot, Shaw behind center, McCown on the bench, Benjamin on the outside, and a sure to improve (if only slightly because it can't get any worse) running game can't be any worse than what the Browns have right now....and then next April Cleveland can draft another QB to add to that famous jersey with all the Browns quarterbacks since 2002. At the very least they should just cut their loses and try to trade Manziel to a team interested in making him a receiver - Chip Kelly anyone?
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