Johnny Manziel’s spell on the bench will continue for the time being after the Cleveland Browns coach picked Austin Davis to start at quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Manziel was stripped of his starting job after a video surfaced of him partying in Texas during the team’s bye week. But then Josh McCown broke his collarbone against the Ravens on Monday, meaning the quarterback spot became free once more. Would Pettine go with Manziel or Davis?
Pettine confirmed on Wednesday that Davis won the starting slot. Manziel will remain on the sideline.
“Austin took advantage of his opportunity on Monday night. He was prepared, played well and put us in position to win,” Pettine said. “He’s been great in the quarterback room all season and he has earned the right to start on Sunday. We expect him to play well.”
On Monday, Davis threw a tying touchdown pass and moved the Browns into position for a winning field goal, but Travis Coons’ 51-yard attempt was blocked by the Ravens and returned by Will Hill 64 yards for a touchdown as time expired.
Davis, who went 3-5 in eight starts for St Louis last season, completed 7 of 11 passes for 77 yards against hhe Ravens. The Browns signed the 26-year-old Davis in September and gave him a two-year contract shortly after he arrived.
Manziel was grounded last week for lying to coaching staff after the video of him in the nightclub emerged. “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of the trust and the accountability piece. This is where we had an obvious shortcoming,” Pettine said of Manziel at the time.
Manziel is 1-2 as a starter this season. He faced Cincinnati last month and completed 15 of 33 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown in a 31-10 loss but was more encouraging in his next game against the Steelers, when he threw for a career-high 372 yards.
