Johnny Manziel has reportedly edged Brian Hoyer as reports indicated that the rookie quarterback will likely start for the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Manziel has "pulled ahead" of Hoyer in the Browns' quarterback depth chart after an impressive preseason debut.
Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, was impressive against the Detroit Lions on Saturday where he made 7-of-11 passes for 63 yards along with 27 yards on the ground. And if he plays well in their second preseason game against the Washington Redskins on Aug. 18, Manziel could eventually be named as a starter.
"A source told cleveland.com that Manziel has the momentum and the superior talent. They've also been pleased with his leadership and progress since the beginning of camp. If he plays well in Washington on Monday Night Football Aug. 18, he'll be very much in the conversation for that week one start in Pittsburgh," Cabot wrote.
But in a recent interview, Browns coach Mike Pettine said that no decision has been made, saying that Hoyer also performed well against the Lions, while also recognizing Manziel's improvement.
"We put Brian out there with the ones, and that was for a reason, he was ahead, because of his edge in experience and the lead he had with the playbook. And he's done nothing to have that taken away from him," Pettine said via ESPN. "But Johnny has made some improvement, a lot of improvement. He's come in, and the things where he was behind in the spring, I think he's got a pretty firm grasp on."
Pettine admitted that he will have a hard time deciding on who to start in week one because there is no clear-cut favorite at this point, which, he said, is a good problem to have.
"If there was a clear-cut favorite at this point, it would probably mean that one of them wasn't playing very well," Pettine added. "It's a good problem to have, having two guys that we think are both capable of being NFL starters."
