As the veteran in a battle with a reckless rookie, Brian Hoyer would seem to have an edge to open the season as the starter over Johnny Manziel. But based on what the Browns are doing and the video evidence, the two might be on equal footing.
Hoyer did fine running the first-team offense last night, missing a couple of throws but having a couple accurate ones dropped. But Manziel looked pretty comfortable leading the offense, mixing in the runs and playmaking ability that got everyone so excited about him in the first place.
Based on just that little glimpse, it's hard not to think that even if Hoyer starts in Week 1, Manziel will take over fairly quickly after that.
NFL Network reported that Manziel would start the second exhibition, a report that the Browns themselves denied (without actually disputing), saying that decision hadn't been made. But this looks like the kind of situation where Hoyer won't be ahead of Manziel for very long.
Most notably from a fantasy perspective, Manziel ran the ball 6 times for 27 yards while he was out there, including picking up a third and long. Some of those were freelancing, some looked like designed running plays. The Browns aren't trying to force Manziel into a conservative offense, it doesn't seem.
The battle will be ongoing, but there's going to be some fantasy appeal from Manziel should he beat out Hoyer. Until he gets injured, anyway.
The other noteworthy battle (moreso in fantasy) is Ben Tate versus Terrance West. Tate looked ordinary, plus he fumbled. West didn't have any wow plays but looked like he knew what he was doing out there. Tate probably wins that job, but West will be a factor in the backfield before too long.
--Andy Richardson