Has Johnny Manziel Earned the Right to Be Browns' Starter?

Right now, Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown is working his way through the NFL's concussion protocol after suffering a setback late last week that made him a Week 2 scratch, paving the way for Johnny Manziel to get his first start of the 2015 season.

Though Browns head coach Mike Pettine said on Monday that the Cleveland coaching staff's discussion about what to do at quarterback this week against the Oakland Raiders would be a "positive" one, given that Manziel "has made a lot of progress in the right direction," there's no guarantee Manziel will get his second start of the season.

For one, ESPN's Chris Mortensen said on Monday night that it's "likely" McCown will get the start in Week 3 as long as he's cleared to practice and play this week. And there's been no change to the Browns' unofficial depth chart as of Tuesday morning, with McCown still listed as the team's No. 1 quarterback.

But Week 3 might be the right time to make a sweeping and permanent quarterback change for the Browns. It's not that Manziel is setting the world on fire or that McCown is a bum. It's just that Manziel's progress has been so evident and McCown is such a known quantity that Manziel looks like the more appealing option going forward.

In two games with one start, Manziel hasn't been flawless. He has fumbled four times, losing two of them to the New York Jets in relief of McCown in Week 1. He also threw an interception against the Jets. And though he had two touchdown passes to Travis Benjamin in Week 2's win over the Tennessee Titans—one for 50 yards, another for 60—he also attempted just 15 passes in the game, completing eight.

Week	Atts.	Comp.	Comp.%	Yds.	TD	INT	Rush	Rush Yds.	Rush TD	Fum.	Fum.L
@ NYJ	13	24	54.17%	182	1	1	5	35	0	2	2
vs. TEN	8	15	53.33%	172	2	0	3	1	0	2	0
Total	21	39	53.85%	354	3	1	8	36	0	4	2

But the Browns' ultimate goal since drafting Manziel in 2014 is to get him ready to be the starter and groom him to eventually be the franchise passer they've been seeking since 1999. And the only way he's going to get to that point is to play—or at least play when he's ready. And, rough edges notwithstanding, Manziel does seem more prepared than ever.

McCown was brought to Cleveland in March to serve as a stopgap under center until Manziel was deemed worthy of starting, or until the Browns decided on going in another direction. But there was no clear timetable for exactly how long that gap would need stopping.

Pettine spent the spring and summer carefully avoiding creating a quarterback controversy and didn't have McCown and Manziel competing against one another. The preparations were made with McCown being a 16-game starter for 2015.

Plans often fall through, though. McCown's concussion opened a door for Manziel, and while it's one that could shut as early as Wednesday afternoon, Pettine and the Browns' brass need to seriously consider making the switch.

McCown is a known quantity—a 58 percent completion rate, a dozen touchdowns, a dozen interceptions and 30 to 40 sacks taken is a pretty easy prediction to make about his hypothetical 2015 output, given what he's done in the past.

Manziel, meanwhile, is still growing, evolving and improving. There aren't many new tricks to be taught to the 36-year-old McCown nor tweaks that can successfully be made to his decision-making, footwork, vision, accuracy or throwing style. Manziel, while not a completely blank slate, gives coaches something to work with and build upon.

And Manziel isn't just potential—he's also doing a few key things right, particularly his passing under pressure.

According to Pro Football Focus, Manziel's passer rating this year when pressured is 119. On 28 dropbacks while pressured, he's completed 10 of 20 pass attempts for 201 yards and two touchdowns against zero picks. Yes, he's taken five sacks and he's scrambled three times, but it's clear that his field vision and reactions have both improved.

Further, Manziel is boasting a higher pressured pass completion percentage than the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Andy Dalton, Andrew Luck and Matthew Stafford. The sample size is small, but it's also indicative of improvement. McCown, meanwhile, had a passer rating of just 41.1 when under pressure a year ago.

All discussion of who should or will start for the Browns in Week 3 is moot until and unless McCown is cleared to compete. If he's not, then Manziel is the de facto starter. But if he is, Pettine and his coaches need to take their discussion of the situation seriously and weigh all options before making a final decision.

The decision, as always, comes down to which quarterback provides the Browns with the greatest chances of winning. But the advantage in that all-important category seems to be tipping in Manziel's favor. The time just may be right for Manziel to take the reins of Cleveland's offense, even if it is earlier than expected.