Johnny Manziel is being let out of his timeout.
And it’s really no surprise.
Given where the Cleveland Browns are with their quarterback situation and where they are as a team, it simply makes sense to see what they have in Manziel the final four games of the season.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that Manziel will start Sunday for the Browns against San Francisco.
However, Mortensen also reported that a key in the Browns' evaluation of Manziel the final month will be how he reacts to being the starter, on and off the field.
"The Browns are uncertain if Manziel can re-establish the hope the franchise had when they made him a first-round pick in 2014,” Mortensen wrote.
It’s up to Manziel. Austin Davis didn’t do anything terribly wrong in Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati. He just didn’t do enough to keep hold of the job.
Manziel now faces the same opportunity he dropped two weeks ago: The chance to make a statement that he is much more the player who threw for 372 yards against Pittsburgh than he is the one who struggled in two starts against the Bengals.
Too, he has a chance to re-establish trust with the team, trust he broke when he lied to the coaches about his bye weekend escapades.
Mike Pettine said when Manziel was demoted that trust is lost in buckets but regained in drops. Thanks to Josh McCown’s broken collarbone, those drops evidently were rather sizable.
The Browns finish the season against San Francisco, Seattle, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. The 49ers and Steelers games are at home, and no doubt Manziel will bring more interest and bodies in seats than Davis would have. The Browns will say this is a football decision. Even if it is it certainly ripples to the economic side.
The 49ers beat the Bears in Chicago on Sunday, but their defense ranks 28th in the league overall and is tied for 18th in points.
The Seahawks, Chiefs and Steelers all figure to be playing with playoff implications at stake. Seattle and Kansas City are two of the toughest places to play in the NFL. The Browns also have several injuries, especially at receiver. Davis learned Sunday how tough that can be.
There will be challenges, but it’s Manziel’s time.
Again.
How he handles himself figures to have a huge effect on how the Browns handle the quarterback position in the offseason.