3 Teams that have the blueprints to give Johnny Manziel a chance
Johnny Manziel may have missed his chance at NFL stardom. But there are teams that should still give him a look to improve their quarterback situation.
There is a quarterback crisis in the NFL. Out of 32 teams there is maybe 6 or 7 elite quarterbacks (Brady, Ryan, Brees, Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Luck and Wilson) and out of those 6 or 7 about half are towards the end of their career (Brady, Brees, Roethlisberger). Teams are struggling developing quarterbacks into more than just stopgaps; there to get the team by until the next Andrew Luck falls into their lap.
Some of these quarterbacks with the potential to be solid starters in the NFL struggle off the field and it ruins their chances to be molded into what their franchise could of been. Johnny Manziel is one of those quarterbacks. Probably one of the most polarizing players of recent memory, Manziel dominated the college level in both performance and theatrics.Despite his shortcomings off the field, Manziel had a mixture of talent and luck that allowed him to succeed on the football field.
Keep in mind, this list isn’t of places where I think Manziel SHOULD start but places where he will make an immediate upgrade at backup. And give him the opportunity to revitalize his career.
There hasn’t been much grace for Manziel but there are still teams with backup quarterback slots that could do a lot worse than Manziel, good stable franchises that are willing to work with the gunslinger could actually un-tap his potential. Here are three teams that could and should give “Money” Manziel a shot.
Eli Manning has started the back nine of his career and his play as of late has dictated that. With Manning’s career in the twilight years, the Giants have to have a contingency plan for the future. The Giants quarterback depth begins and ends with Ryan Nassib. Although Nassib is a mediocre backup, Giants fans probably don’t want to lean on Nassib as a possible starter in the near future. The Giants could draft a rookie but with needs all over the defense, it makes sense to sign a talented young quarterback in the meantime. Manziel could use a stable franchise with an experienced winner like Manning to learn from. And come on who doesn’t want to see Manziel drop back make four pass rushers miss and throw a hail-mary up to OBJ for a one-handed touchdown catch.. . . New York Giants. 1. player. 31
Dallas Cowboys. 2. player. 123. Manziel has been linked to the Cowboys since the NFL draft where Jerry Jones allegedly fought tooth and nail to draft the college-star. (Whether that was based off Manziel’s talent or Manziel’s ability to sell jerseys remains to be unseen) The Cowboys have drafted their future at the quarterback position in Dak Prescott but with Romo inevitably being shipped to the highest bidder, there will be a spot open to become the backup in Dallas. While this spot probably wouldn’t land Manziel a starter position anytime soon, it would allow for the Cowboys to have a developmental quarterback to have in case of emergency or to develop into a trade piece.. .
Pittsburgh Steelers. 3. player. 55. This may be the most promising place for Manziel if the Rooney’s ever rolled the dice on a player with off the field issues. Roethlisberger has made it clear that he will be riding off into the sunset very soon. And Landry Jones has proved that he isn’t the answer, even as a backup. Mettenberger hasn’t impressed the staff, and the Steelers just aren’t likely to field a rookie quarterback that can make an impact in this draft. Manziel makes sense to develop under Roethlisberger. Both with seamless escapability and a penchant for trying to make big plays. Roethlisberger even struggled with on the field issues early in his career, but he was able to clean up his act and is now a future hall of famer. The Steelers are proven winners and run a very tight ship in terms of off the field issues. Manziel would have the structure to revitalize his career and have a shot at starting for a decorated dynasty.. .
Although it’s probably generous to list this as giving Manziel a “second” chance, Manziel was written off before his first snap in the NFL and if he has been working out half as hard as his instagram story suggests, he still possess a lot of raw natural ability that can be molded. Franchises like the three mentioned above can take chances on players like Manziel because they won’t falter if Manziel doesn’t workout.
The Steelers, Giants, and Cowboys could develop Manziel and see growth. with the real possibility to have a gem of a football player or they could let him go and the franchise as a whole wouldn’t miss a beat. Manziel made a mess of his career all on his own, but there is a calculated risk teams in good positions could take on Johnny Football.