How Sticking with Brian Hoyer Impacts QB, Johnny Manziel and Browns' Future

The Cleveland Browns made it official on Wednesday: The starting quarterback job will remain in Brian Hoyer's hands for now.

Initially reported by Fox Sports' Jay Glazer and then confirmed by the Browns and head coach Mike Pettine, the decision comes just days after Hoyer was benched in favor of rookie Johnny Manziel in the team's 26-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Pettine had said after the game that the decision on Week 14's starter against the Indianapolis Colts would come on Wednesday. 

In a statement released by the Browns, Pettine said in part that "After thorough evaluation and talking to the staff, we feel Brian gives us the best opportunity to win on Sunday."

The Browns are currently 7-5 and in the playoff hunt. That record is what had Hoyer convinced he'd retain control of the job despite the "spark"—as Pettine worded it—of Manziel going into Week 14's game. Manziel completed five of his eight passes for 65 yards and also had a touchdown run of 10 yards.

The Bills game marked the third straight poor outing for Hoyer, two of which ended with a Browns loss. The win, a 26-24 road victory over the Atlanta Falcons, came on a game-winning drive engineered by Hoyer and finished by kicker Billy Cundiff; prior to that drive, Hoyer had also been playing poorly.

The decision to stick with Hoyer does not mean that we've seen the last of Manziel on the football field this year, nor does it guarantee that Hoyer gets a long-term deal from the Browns in the offseason or even the franchise tag.

In fact, the developments of the last few days further muddies a situation that was already poised to be complicated for the Browns in the offseason.

Hoyer is an unrestricted free agent after this season, while Manziel, with his 2014 first-round draft pedigree, is still considered the Browns' quarterback of the future. Hoyer's performance this year was mainly to determine exactly when in the future that may be, whether in 2014, 2015 or later.

With the benching last week and the days of deliberations that followed, it's clear Hoyer will be on a short leash to close out the season. Because, while Hoyer certainly had a hand in leading the Browns to their seven wins, at least two recent losses can be traced to him.

That's the difference between being 9-3 and in first place in the AFC North lead and 7-5, where they stand now tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and other AFC teams in the playoff hunt.

	Atts.	Comp.	Comp.%	Pass Yds.	Pass TD	INT	Rush	Rush Yds.	Rush TD
Hoyer 2014	395	222	56.2%	3,056	11	10	12	20	0
Hoyer Week 13	30	18	60.0%	192	0	2	0	0	0
Manziel Week 13	8	5	62.5%	63	0	0	2	13	1

Hoyer had two interceptions last week to zero touchdowns and has thrown one touchdown pass to six interceptions in his last three games. If the benching and the threat of Manziel taking his job didn't provide Hoyer with the proper motivation, then he won't be long for the job.

If the Browns want Hoyer to succeed, though, they need to set him up to play his best football possible. That means not asking him to pass too much and to go back to the run-first offense that had led him to success earlier this season.

That run-heavy approach kept the ball moving but also played up Hoyer's strengths—the play-action pass, the deep ball—while minimizing his weaknesses: accuracy, especially in shorter-yardage passes, being the biggest. 

However, since the return of receiver Josh Gordon from his 10-game suspension, Hoyer has been throwing more often. Gordon has been targeted 29 times through two games, with 15 receptions for 195 yards and no touchdowns. Of Hoyer's 70 passes in those two games, 29 have gone to Gordon; of his 41 completions, 15 were Gordon's.

As Yahoo! Sports' Ben Rohrbach points out, "Although considered one of the league's better deep-ball passers, [Hoyer's] 56.2 completion percentage ranks 33rd among 34 quarterbacks in the NFL this season. Only two quarterbacks have thrown fewer touchdowns (11) and more interceptions (10) than Hoyer, and his 20 sacks of 135 yards this fall also ranks among the league's worst."

Hoyer does have his strengths as a passer, but a high volume of throws isn't going to produce ideal results. Tempering his inclination to force the ball to Gordon would be better for him and for the Browns. It's how they masked Hoyer's inaccuracy issues earlier in the year and it's what they must do now if they want him to be a successful starter to close out the year.

Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

It's important to get such a playmaker involved in the offense, yes. It's important, as well, for Gordon to be more comfortable in a new offense that he just joined. But Hoyer's not going to be playing his best game when targeting Gordon so heavily.

In the long term, Hoyer's value does take a hit from his benching, even if he remains the Browns' starter for the rest of the season. And if he doesn't? Suddenly that could take Hoyer from being one of the hottest free-agent quarterback commodities (in a year featuring few of them, as well as not many draft-eligible quarterbacks to choose from), to a bargain buy.

That might not be good news for Hoyer's financial bottom line, but it could prove to be a boon for the Browns if Hoyer still factors into their 2015 plans once this season wraps.

Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

If Hoyer is not seen as the golden boy the Browns tried to position him as heading into this season, then his yearly salary could drop from a market-driven $18 or even $20 million per year to a Browns-friendly $14 or $16 million. While the franchise tag—estimated to be $18.38 million in 2015—remains in play regardless of how the season ends, if the Browns want to manipulate Hoyer's value in a way that benefits them, then this benching could help that effort out considerably.

That is, of course, if the Browns truly would have long-term interest in a quarterback they chose to bench while boasting a winning record. There is a lot of leverage here from a football standpoint for Manziel.

He had a decent performance—and a touchdown drive—in his limited action against Buffalo. He was allowed playing time though the Browns' season was far from out of hand. And the staff seriously considered handing the reins off to him this week against the Colts.

Still, Hoyer's benching last week affects the rookie quarterback the least. It's Hoyer who is the true moving part here—as in, moving to the bench, or moving off the team.

Manziel, at worst, will see at least 2015 on the bench if Hoyer can step it up; it's not likely he'll be traded off that quickly. And he would still be in the Browns' long-term plans in some capacity even if Hoyer hadn't been benched.

Manziel could have gone the entire 2014 season without playing a single regular-season snap and still have a job in Cleveland in 2015. Hoyer, however, needed a strong 2014 to retain his job for another year. He has the most to lose from last week's benching and the threat of it being longer than a one-game thing.

The Colts game on Sunday presents his next last chance—another multiple-interception performance is clearly going to see him sidelined. Hoyer's job security is now a week-to-week thing, which is not the case for Manziel. Not only does Hoyer's future lie in his own hands, so does the future of the Browns' quarterback position.