After Loss to Panthers, Browns' QB Outlook as Cloudy as Ever

Since the Cleveland Browns returned to the NFL as an expansion team in 1999, the franchise has been plagued by instability at quarterback.

Heading into the 2014 season, the Browns had seen 20 different starting quarterbacks. Only one—1999 first overall pick Tim Couch—has started 16 games in the same season.

There have been glimpses of hope throughout the years. Couch certainly had his moments, as did 2007 surprise Derek Anderson. First-round picks like Brady Quinn and Brandon Weeden had potential, and hometown kid Brian Hoyer showed both heart and ability before tearing his ACL a season ago.

The team has even tried seasoned veterans like Jeff Garcia, Trent Dilfer and Jake Delhomme, hoping that experience would lead to stability.

Over the long haul, however, each quarterback the Browns have turned to has stumbled. 

There were a couple times this season when it appeared Cleveland's quarterback misery would end. The selection of former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel in the first round of May's draft gave the Browns another potential future star.

The steady hand of Hoyer at the beginning of the year provided hope that Manziel might even be able to sit for a couple seasons before being pushed into action.

Unfortunately, with 16 games and eight losses in the books this season, it appears that the Browns' quarterback situation is as uncertain as it has ever been.

Hoyer quarterbacked the Browns to a promising 6-3 start and temporarily gave the team first place in the AFC North. Over the next four weeks, however, he tossed eight interceptions and just one touchdown to go with a 1-3 record.

He was benched late in a 26-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills and was replaced for the season after posting a 29.3 passer rating in a close 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts a week later. 

Over the first 10 weeks of the season, Hoyer was rated 15th overall among quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Since then, he ranks 35th.

Hoyer, who grew up in the Cleveland area, had been a good story and had shown veteran poise. It had become evident after the loss to Indianapolis, though, that he probably wasn't the future for the Browns.

This is why Cleveland turned to Manziel in Week 15. With virtually no playoff hope left, it was time to see what kind of potential the prized rookie could bring. Unfortunately, Manziel didn't deliver much.

In his first professional start, against the Cincinnati Bengals, Manziel completed just 10 of 18 passes for 80 yards with two interceptions. He led Cleveland to zero points.

His second start wasn't much better. Against the Carolina Panthers, Manziel went 3-of-8 for 32 yards before leaving the game with a hamstring injury. He was replaced by Hoyer, who went 7-of-13 for 134 yards with a touchdown and a pick. The Browns ultimately lost 17-13 on another day when the defense played well enough to win.

All of this brings us to the Browns' current predicament. 

Cleveland has a good idea what it has in Hoyer, who is a free agent at the end of the season. He can deliver wins when the team is clicking, but he can also be a liability and doesn't seem to elevate the play of the guys around him.

The Browns don't have a good idea of what they have in Manziel and in a best-case scenario will finish the season with three starts and around two-and-a-half games' worth of tape to evaluate. 

Game film of Manziel shows a player with talent and moxie off the bench but a guy completely overwhelmed against defenses that have prepared to play against him. It is also worth noting that Mike Pettine and his staff must have seen similar negatives from Manziel in practices to wait as long as they did to make a quarterback change.

If Manziel struggles or doesn't play against the Baltimore Ravens in the regular-season finale, it is hard to see the Browns feeling good about his ability to handle the starting job from Week 1 on in 2015. This isn't to say that Manziel won't rebound and develop into a great player; it's only to say that the team cannot expect it to happen.

It is equally difficult to imagine Hoyer back under center next season. The former Michigan State standout will be free to sign where he pleases, and Cleveland isn't likely to offer him franchise-quarterback money.

The result is that Browns fans once again just don't know what the team is going to do at quarterback.

Browns general manager Ray Farmer plans to explore all options in the coming offseason, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Those options could even include trading up to acquire reigning Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. 

Earlier this week, Cabot wrote the following on the situation:

"

Since last year, league sources have been telling cleveland.com that Farmer is enamored with Mariota, the 6-4, 215 phenom from Oregon. Mariota cemented his status as the top quarterback in the draft—and likely No. 1 overall pick—with another terrific season for the high-flying Ducks.

"

After watching the team draft a quarterback in the first round less than a year ago, it seems ridiculous that Cleveland is considering doing it again. If Farmer is indeed enamored with Mariota, however, the possibility of Cleveland going all-in to acquire him can't be ruled out. 

Mariota appears to be the safest and most talented quarterback likely to enter next year's draft. A 2015 free-agent class headlined by the likes of Hoyer, Michael Vick and Jake Locker doesn't provide many alternatives.

The bottom line, though, is that Cleveland has to at least bring in someone to compete with Manziel in the offseason, even if it is too early to label the former A&M star a bust (and it is). Otherwise, should Manziel flop or suffer injury next season, the next man up might be practice-squad quarterback Connor Shaw.

The good news is that Farmer has put a lot of solid roster pieces in place, and Pettine has already coached the Browns to a three-win improvement over last season. 

The bad news is that the Browns' current quarterback situation is a far cry from what the team expected it to be four-plus months ago, and fans are forced to enter another offseason with absolutely no certainty at the game's most important position.