The Cleveland Browns saw quarterback Johnny Manziel improve throughout the 2015 NFL season on-the-field, but his actions off-the-field were still disappointing. What grade should Manziel receive for the season that he put together?
Manziel is likely done with the Browns now that Hue Jackson has been hired as the head coach. Jackson made it fairly clear that he doesn't like Manziel and he feels they need a new quarterback. If that is indeed the case, he will be on a different roster next season, which could be better for him.
Throughout the course of the 2015 season, Manziel ended up putting up decent all-around numbers. He completed 57.8 percent of his pass attempts for 1,500 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Manziel looked much more comfortable this season and the future looks much brighter than it did last season.
At 23 years old, Manziel still has a lot of time left to get his life and career back on track.
There is no question that he has the potential to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. He has the ability to make plays and extend them with his athleticism. If the right coach got a hold of Manziel, there is a very good chance to turn things around and develop to his full potential.
Mike Pettine didn't seem to want to play Manziel throughout the majority of the 2015 season. Josh McCown started the season as the starting quarterback and it seemed like Manziel never got a break from his head coach. Austin Davis also got playing time at times throughout the season.
Cleveland can't be too harsh on Manziel after the season that he put together this year.
Obviously there are still things to work on for the quarterback heading into his third season. He has to improve his accuracy and leadership and also fix some things off-the-field. If he can get those things done, there is nothing holding him back from being a very good quarterback.
Grading his season is much easier said than done. There are so many moving parts to grading his season that simply judging his play cannot be the only way it is graded. He also has to be judged for the off-the-field decisions that he made.
All of that being said, we are going to come down harsh because of some of the decisions he made, but are also acknowledging that he had a very good season on-the-field.
Johnny Manziel 2015 NFL Season Grade: C+
