Who’s the Real Quarterback of the Future for the Cleveland Browns?

By Casey Drottar @cdrottar19 on October 8, 2014

For the first time in what feels like forever, there finally appears to be some football-related hope in the city of Cleveland.

Even though the Cleveland Browns are only just 2-2, they’ve looked competitive in every single game they’ve played this season. In fact, they’re a couple plays away from being 4-0. This past Sunday, after sleepwalking through the first half against the Tennessee Titans and falling to a 28-3 deficit, the Browns pulled off a historic rally to win 29-28.

Much of this success is due to the play of quarterback Brian Hoyer. The hometown hero has been putting up numbers not often seen by Cleveland quarterbacks, consistently scoring despite a severe lack of receiving threats. He’s been efficient, he’s refused to give up despite any sort of dire circumstances and he’s made believers out of teammates, coaches and fans alike.

Here’s another thing Hoyer is doing: he’s giving the Browns one heck of a conundrum.

You see, according to many folks around the league, Cleveland brought in their franchise quarterback earlier this year at during the 2014 NFL Draft when they selected Johnny Manziel in the first round. The headline-stealing rookie from Texas A&M came in and immediately made the Browns relevant again before ever walking on to the practice field. People waited with baited breath during every Cleveland preseason game to see when Manziel took the field, hoping to watch him put up numerous highlight reel plays as he did in college. It was only a matter of time before he replaced Hoyer and took the reins as Cleveland’s starting quarterback.

On May 1, Manziel stole the spotlight in Cleveland. However, just five weeks into the season, Hoyer has taken it right back. Complicating things further is the fact Hoyer is on the final year of his contract with the Browns, due to become a free agent in the offseason. Cleveland may have invested a first-round pick in Manziel, but Hoyer has since proven he can be the man to run the Browns’ offense.

So, it begs the question: just who exactly is the future at quarterback for Cleveland?

Hoyer’s success shouldn’t really complicate things. This is a franchise that’s had more starting quarterbacks since 1999 than most people have blood relatives. Having someone finally come in and steady the ship should be reason to rejoice. For right now, this is definitely the case. However, Hoyer’s play is making an impending decision for Cleveland’s front office more and more difficult with every game.

Things would be different if he was under contract next year. Heck, it would’ve been different had Hoyer and the team successfully negotiated a new deal this past offseason. Instead, Hoyer bet on himself, deciding to table negotiations until the end of the year.

Right now, it sure looks like he made the right call.

With every game, Hoyer has shown his ability to be the guy in Cleveland, the possible answer to the never-ending question, “Seriously, will this team ever have consistency at quarterback?” However, with every game, his price tag is going up.

Cleveland isn’t the only team in the NFL dying for stability at quarterback. With Hoyer tabling talks until the offseason, he’s surely going to get offers elsewhere. At the same time, I don’t think he wants to go anywhere else. Likewise, if Hoyer plays this way all season, there will be absolutely no way the Browns could justify letting him go.

So, we know what Hoyer’s current status with the team is, but what does it mean for Manziel?

Sure, Manziel showed everyone during his appearances this preseason how he wasn’t exactly ready to start in the NFL. At the same time, the Browns traded up to get him in the first round of the draft. It makes for quite an investment, even if he isn’t on the field yet.

If Cleveland re-signs Hoyer, are they still keeping Manziel as their full-time backup? Would he accept such a role, especially considering his high profile in the football world? Obviously they won’t cut ties with Manziel just because they re-sign Hoyer, but what if someone proposes a trade? Laugh at this all you want, but Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been publically pining for Manziel ever since he was barred from picking him in the first round. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to kick the tires on a possible Manziel trade if the quarterback comes into next year as a backup.

Want to complicate things even further? What happens if Hoyer gets hurt and Manziel has to start some games this season? Thanks to the fact only one quarterback since 1999 has started a season wire-to-wire for the Browns, this isn’t a lofty possibility. If Manziel does end up starting some games, what happens if he does well? Would such a thing affect how contract talks go with Hoyer?

It’s a lot to ponder for Week 6 in the NFL, but it also shouldn’t be ignored. This is all eventually going to come to a head, and leverage tilts Hoyer’s way with every game.

Personally, if Hoyer finishes the year as he started it, I think he’ll be back under center for Cleveland next year. Manziel wasn’t the top overall pick, nor did he enter the league with a skill set which begged for him to be put on the field ASAP. The Browns would be wise to try and do with him what the Green Bay Packers did with Aaron Rodgers, letting him learn from the bench as long as he can.

However, with the season not even halfway over yet, there’s still plenty of time for a wrinkle to be tossed into this situation. Cleveland has hardly ever seen things go as planned on the football field in recent years, so there’s not really any reason to put stock in this trend changing just yet.

The Browns have been dying for quarterback consistency for almost 15 years now. Go figure, right when it appears they might actually have it, it’s still somehow making things complicated.

Casey Drottar is a Featured Columnist for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @CDrottar19 or “Like” him on Facebook