close

Pettine: Browns to discuss signing QB with Manziel out

4 min read

Johnny Manziel entered the NFL with a flair for making sensational plays. And, as it turns out, an elbow problem.

Manziel’s right elbow soreness – a problem the Browns said has troubled the former Texas A&M star since he was in high school – isn’t going away, so the team is shutting him down.

Mike Pettine said the second-year quarterback will likely sit out an exhibition Saturday at Tampa Bay.

“It hasn’t bounced all the way back,” Pettine said. “We’re going to err on the side of caution.”

An MRI did not reveal any structural damage in the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner’s elbow.

Manziel has been slowed by soreness for at least the past two weeks of training camp. The pain flared up Sunday on a long throw, forcing him off the field for the final 30 minutes of practice. He didn’t throw on Monday, and following a scheduled off day for the team, Manziel was again limited to just handing the ball off during Wednesday’s workout.

Pettine said afterward the Browns will discuss signing another quarterback. Among the free agents available are Jason Campbell, Tyler Thigpen and Josh Johnson, who have all spent time with Cleveland.

Clowney to be ready for Texans’ opener: Jadeveon Clowney is expected to play in Houston’s season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 13.

Coach Bill O’Brien said Wednesday that the pass-rush specialist has looked good in practice and is improving every day.

“He wants to be in there more which is a great sign,” O’Brien said. “That means he’s probably feeling pretty good. A lot of it has to do with how he’s feeling, how the knee’s feeling. I think he feels decent and he’s worked hard to get back to this point. And we’ll just keep inching him forward to be able to go on that first game.”

The top overall pick in the 2014 draft had microfracture surgery on his right knee in December and didn’t return to practice until Aug. 17. He’s feeling strong and is glad all the work he put in during rehabilitation is finally paying off.

He played just four games last season because of various injuries before the surgery. Clowney doesn’t quite feel like himself yet after the longest layoff of his career and hopes more practice helps him improve.

“I told the guys, I’m rusty,” he said. “I’m just trying to get as many reps as I can, tell the coach to put me in as much as possible, but they’re not trying to really rush me back right now. We’re just taking it one day at a time, working me in slow.”

Umenyiora retires a Giant: Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora is retiring as a member of the New York Giants.

Umenyiora, who won two Super Bowls with the Giants, signed a one-day contract Wednesday and announced his retirement after 12 NFL seasons, the first 10 with New York and last two in Atlanta.

Umenyiora had 75 of his 85 sacks with the Giants, fourth on the franchise’s list, trailing only Hall of Famers Michael Strahan (141½) and Lawrence Taylor (132½) and Leonard Marshall (79½).

NFL, union still in dispute over Peterson suspension: The NFL Players Association remains at odds with the league regarding Adrian Peterson’s suspension, despite the resumption of the running back’s career with the Minnesota Vikings more than two months ago.

NFLPA and NFL lawyers traded arguments Wednesday in front of U.S. District Judge David Doty on the union’s contempt of court motion that was filed in May. NFLPA attorney Jeffrey Kessler told Doty such a move was necessary to push the league to send Peterson’s appeal back to arbitration, as ordered by Doty in February.

The lead lawyer for the NFL, Dan Nash, accused the union of unfairly using Peterson’s example to stage a larger fight over the personal conduct policy. Nash argued that the league’s disagreement with the NFLPA’s legal position do not constitute contempt of court.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today