Despite remaining on the bench for the entirety of a 37-3 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Johnny Manziel has been reinstated as the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback, ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported.
Manziel had previously been told he would start the final four games of the season, so long as he met the team's conditions, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
Manziel has been in the doghouse since a video surfaced of him partying during the team's Week 11 bye and his subsequent attempt to allegedly lie about its validity to the organization, but really Johnny Football has been given a short leash even before he had a chance to leap into Cleveland's Dawg Pound.
Every time he's been given some slack in his NFL career, he's run off the rails. It appears the organization is offering Manziel at least one more chance to prove he can change the hard-partying ways that led him to rehab during the offseason and live up to his promise that he no longer wants to be a distraction.
The next four weeks will be an audition for Manziel's future. Currently, the Browns own the league's worst record at 2-10, meaning they're in position to earn the No. 1 overall pick in 2016. Manziel could make that decision interesting if he finishes well. Or Manziel could lead the Browns to a few wins and they won't have a chance to pick one of the top quarterbacks in next year's draft. There also doesn't appear to be a can't-miss franchise quarterback in the Class of 2016, so Manziel has a good opportunity to earn the job as the team's starter going into next season. There won't be a ton of great alternatives to pick from in the offseason.
Cleveland fans should hope they have an answer on Manziel by season's end. The Browns have wasted enough time. They need to find out what they have.
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