Cleveland Browns quarterback situation? It’s complicated

And for Manziel, this was the moment he needed now.

Benjamin has caught three touchdowns from Manziel already this season and the shortest one was a 50-yarder that helped put the Titans away in last Sunday’s 28-14 Browns victory.

Until McCown is cleared, Manziel will start for the Browns, who host Oakland this week.

Big plays: The last time a Browns quarterback had two touchdowns of 50 yards or more in a game was 10 years ago, when Trent Dilfer completed TDs to Braylon Edwars of 80 yards and Steve Heiden of 62. However, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com followed that up by saying Manziel still stands a chance for the job as head coach Mike Pettine weighs his options. “When a play breaks down that is what he brings”.

Manziel won his Heisman Trophy matchup with Marcus Mariota, who threw two TD passes in the second half for the Titans (1-1), but took a pounding in his second game.

Mariota finished 21 of 37 for 257 yards. “We understood that going in”. He just needs to improve, which presumably will happen with playing and practice time. “But I’ll learn that and get better”.

After hearing Hoge criticized him again before his Week 2 start, Manziel shot back at Hoge by ripping his notoriously huge neckties.

“I’ve come a long way from that point on January 17”, Manziel said when asked about his off-field issues. “To me, that’s the standard, it’s our weekly meeting where we evaluate every positon and where are we but until Josh is cleared there’s not much thought process there. I think I’m getting better, still missed some things that I’m going to be hard on myself about tomorrow”.

Johnny Manziel’s camp enjoyed the latest, but nearly certainly not the last, laugh in his feud with ESPN analyst Merril Hoge. Manziel replaced starting quarterback Josh McCown after he suffered a concussion on a diving touchdown attempt early in the game.

Following Manziel’s clutch performance, the Browns will have to pick who will start under center in this week’s showdown against with the surging Raiders.

The quick TD energized Cleveland’s crowd and gave Manziel a boost of confidence. The former Bears and Steelers running back said Manziel was essentially a hopeless cause with weak fundamentals. He caught Brett Kern’s kick, found a seam and cut toward the left sideline. Benjamin’s rise is coming as Bowe falls out of favor.

“It was a real positive conversation, a lot of good opinions, I think we’re all on the same page, but the quarterbacks aren’t in until later this afternoon”, Pettine said on NFL headquarters Tuesday morning.