Johnny Manziel hoping rest heals hurting right elbow
Quarterback Johnny Manziel was having a good preseason, then his right elbow shut down any chance he had at earning a starting job.
After two preseason games it seemed like a quarterback controversy might start brewing with the Cleveland Browns. Manziel played pretty well and showed progress. But Manziel has dealt with right elbow tendinitis since then. He said it is something he has dealt with since his freshman year at Texas A&M.
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The good news, as he shared with the Cleveland media on Tuesday, is that surgery has not been recommended by anyone. Included in the list of doctors he reached out to who told him just to rest was famed Dr. James Andrews, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Andrew Gribble of the team’s website said Manziel was asked if he can throw on Wednesday and be ready for Week 1, and Manziel said “sure.”
The injury derailed an interesting story. To be fair, Browns coach Mike Pettine never indicated that he was considering giving Manziel the starting job by the start of the regular season, no matter how well he played or how poorly Josh McCown played. But missing the final two preseason games won’t help his momentum. Instead of inching closer to putting the pressure on coaches to keep him in mind early in the season if McCown struggles, he might need to build back up to that through practice. That might not be the worst thing, given that the Browns should be considering what is best for Manziel over his career with them and not what happens in September or October.
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Manziel’s progress in the first two preseason games was promising. It might be a while before we see him in action again, until the Browns feel the need to put him in the lineup. That’s assuming his elbow isn’t a long-term issue, of course.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
