It’s hard to believe the Cleveland Browns won’t release Johnny Manziel in the near future. Dallas Cowboys fans need to hope they won’t be the team giving him a lifeline to his NFL career.
Rumors have been circulating about Manziel, who played college football at Texas A&M, wants to play for the Cowboys, who are looking for a more solid solution at the backup quarterback position, preferably a young player they can maybe develop into the one who replaces Tony Romo. Kellen Moore didn’t do a great job, but no one did once Romo got injured, so it’s not like they’re giving up on him. But owner Jerry Jones has a thing for Manziel that can’t be explained.
Manziel might not be a terrible player. He might be the right fit at backup level. But the guy can’t seem to stay away from trouble, which isn’t something new for Cowboys players. The issue for someone like Manziel is the media attention. He couldn’t escape it when playing for the Browns in Cleveland, so how is he going to handle it once the Dallas press and the national media have a chance to talk about him even more once he’s playing for a franchise everyone loves hearing about on a daily basis?
The NFL doesn’t rehabilitate players. As cynical and sad as that sounds, the goal should always be winning. Having Manziel on a the team doesn’t advance them towards that goal. He might not be a bad football player and in a vacuum separating his personality with his on field ability he might be a good option as a backup to Tony Romo and even cultivate as the team’s future quarterback. But bringing in the full set of issues, Manziel should be as far away from this team as possible.