Johnny Manziel's Progress Is No Threat to Josh McCown Starting for Browns

Like any NFL quarterback in his second year in the league, the Cleveland Browns' Johnny Manziel has been making progress. 

Last week, ESPN's Pat McManamon declared Manziel's Wednesday practice "one of his best days throwing the ball," adding, "The second-year quarterback was sharper than at any time since the Cleveland Browns' training camp started." McManamon also added that Manziel has "worked hard at becoming a pocket passer."

That progress was put on display on Friday evening, when the Browns traveled to Columbus' Ohio Stadium for their annual Orange & Brown Scrimmage. In front of nearly 50,000 fans, Manziel performed well, completing nine of his 11 pass attempts for 93 yards and two touchdowns while taking one would-be sack.

Head coach Mike Pettine was pleased by Manziel's performance at the scrimmage, saying afterward, per the team's official website, "The thing that jumps out, he is much less antsy in the pocket. He sets his feet, which you really didn't see much last year. He is trusting his reads. I thought he placed the ball—I thought his location accuracy was good tonight."

Offensive lineman Joe Thomas also came away impressed with Manziel, who worked exclusively with the second-team offense and against the second-team defense, via McManamon:

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He's really proved to a lot of people that this is important to him and he is ready to be an NFL starting quarterback. I think playing well in the scrimmage tonight and looking like an NFL quarterback is another good step in the direction that he wants to go. He's just earning that trust of his teammates that he's going to need to do if he wants to be our starter. I think he impressed a lot of people out here tonight.

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Thomas, though, wasn't ready to declare him a shoo-in for the Browns' starting job this year, adding, "I think on the other hand Josh [McCown] has done so many good things that to me it's not really a conversation about who should be the starter right now."

That's the important thing to keep in mind as reports continue to trickle out about Manziel's improved performance and preparation this summer—this job still belongs to McCown.

McCown is entering his 13th season in the NFL, and whether he's the McCown he's always been during his career—a sub-60 percent completion percentage, more interceptions thrown than touchdowns—or the McCown during the five-week stretch he was the Chicago Bears' starter in 2013, he knows how to do this job.

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

He can command a huddle. He can master a playbook. He can read defenses. He can call audibles, get through his progressions in a quick manner and his teammates can trust him. These are all skills Manziel is still trying to learn, and the Browns have the luxury of allowing him to learn them at mostly his own pace.

The Browns aren't forced to start Manziel before he is ready or to resign themselves to the fact that he'll be learning the game, on the field, as a starter, as he goes. That's why McCown was signed in the offseason. His presence takes considerable pressure off Manziel, and off the Browns.

But that doesn't mean the Browns would be satisfied with Manziel's progress taking the babiest of baby steps. They are seeing from Manziel what they hoped they would—tangible proof that he's developing into the type of quarterback who can lead an NFL offense and play well. The key word is "developing"—he's not there yet.

David Richard/Associated Press

And those who truly believe that Manziel will be the Browns' starter—or that there's even a competition underway between him and McCown—are simply seeing things that aren't there. Pettine has been emphatically reiterating that McCown is the starter. Yes, this could change, but it's not likely.

As Pettine said on Sunday when asked about the quarterback depth chart (and specifically who is the No. 3 quarterback between Connor Shaw and Thaddeus Lewis), per the Browns' website: "I wouldn't list one of those guys ahead of the other. Obviously, Josh is firmly the one, as I've said, Johnny is the two and I would slash those guys at the three."

McCown isn't just the No. 1 quarterback—he's "firmly" the No 1. And until or unless Pettine softens his language when talking about the position, this is the one truth to latch onto. Manziel showing improvement is a positive development and something that needed to happen; if he looked the same as last year, then he'd be in trouble.

But don't take Manziel's improvements as a sign he's going to start or that he's any sort of threat to McCown's job. Just take it for what it is—progress, much-needed progress. Manziel will make a fine backup quarterback this year, which is more than can be said about his rookie season.