Philadelphia Eagles: Is Johnny Manziel worth a camp invite?

With Nick Foles days in Philly numbered, could the Philadelphia Eagles find his eventual successor in troubled quarterback Johnny Manziel?

Johnny Manziel may be the most polarizing player in professional football not named Colin Kaepernick.

When the diminutive signal caller from Texas A&M entered the league one year removed from winning the Heisman Trophy in 2013, some envisioned him the second coming of Drew Brees and Doug Flutie, whereas others questioned whether he should be drafted at all due to his size and off-the-field demeanor, and unfortunately for Manziel, it was not a smooth transition.

After being selected 22nd overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, Manziel went to where quarterbacks go to die, Cleveland Ohio, and was given the seemingly insurmountable task of making the Cleveland Browns relevant for the first time in over a decade.

And it did not go well.

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Sure, Johnny Football still made plays with his arm and legs, but he simply struggled to translate his improvisational, playground style to the pros with any prolonged success. While he wasn’t exactly surrounded with talent on Mike Pettine‘s squad, it really didn’t matter, as Manziel’s off the field issues ultimately signed his letter of release after only two seasons with the team.

Between a string of arrests, a destructive relationship with drugs and claims of domestic violence, Manziel burned out in extraordinary fashion and looked like yet another first-round quarterback bust in the vein of JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf.

So, you may be asking, why would the Philadelphia Eagles have any interested in a royal screwup like Mr. Football? Well, according to Manziel he’s changed.

After going public with his struggles with bipolar disorder, the one time Heisman Winner described an earnest desire to return to the league, and do whatever it takes to once again suit up on Sundays.

And on March 22nd, Manziel and his team took the first steps in said comeback by going through a workout at San Diego State‘s Pro Day in front of scouts from over a dozen NFL teams. While the Eagles didn’t have a representative at the event to scout the likes of Rashaad Penny, that does necessarily mean that the team wouldn’t have interest in taking on a reclamation project like Manziel.

Want proof? Look no further than Doug Pederson‘s former mentor Andy Reid.

Way back in 2009, Reid and Jeffery Lurie brought in another troubled first-round pick to rebuild his career in now fan favorite Michael Vick and helped to turn the remorseful former star into a starting-caliber quarterback, so much so that they moved on from Donovan McNabb as a result. And his position coach at the time was Doug Pederson.

And when the Eagles decided to forgo more established coaches to bring Pederson back to South Philly, the move was largely based around his ability to develop the franchise’s next starting quarterback, and it obviously worked. In his first season with the team, Pederson put together one of the best quarterback incubators in league history, with himself, offensive coordinator Frank Riech and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, and transformed Carson Wentz from a division II mystery into the leagues premier quarterback under 25.

Even with Reich and DeFilippo now coaching elsewhere, Pederson’s staff could still help to turn Manziel’s career, and possibly life around as he takes his second chance at a pro career.

At this point, it’s almost common knowledge that Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles will not be a member of the team after the 2018 NFL season, whether that be because of a trade, or his contract expiring after the season, so at some point, the team will need to identify his eventual successor and lock him.

Johnny Manziel could be that guy.

Yeah, he’s struggled with off the field issues, and he’s far from a prototypical NFL quarterback, but no one’s going to argue that he doesn’t have raw talent, and with a coach like Pederson locked firmly in place, that talent could be cultivated into something great.

With one of the strongest locker room cultures in the entire league, having Manziel learn behind an old soul like Wentz could go a long way in his maturation both on and off the field, and could give the team a second highly touted young signal caller who could lead them to victory in the case of injury. Though it would surely draw the ire of fans and pundits across the nation, signing Manziel to a one-year, veteran minimum deal to compete for a spot in camp has virtually no downside, and is the kind of move that championship teams make on the regular.

And if he fails, then no harm no foul.

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While he may never again average 3900 yards and 32 touchdowns a season like he did in college, Manziel still has all of the physical tools needed to become a solid NFL quarterback, he just needs a team willing to unlock that potential. The Philadelphia Eagles can and should be that team.

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