Now that the Cleveland Browns have been relegated to the fringes of the AFC playoff picture, they are turning to rookie quarterbackJohnny Manziel for a peek at their offense of the future.
With the No. 22 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft running the show, the Browns will enter Sunday's rematch versus the Bengals with three key offensive weapons who were missing from last month's convincing 24-3 victory.
After watching J.J. Watt account for more touchdowns than Brian Hoyer over the past month, Cleveland fans can look forward to an exciting young quarterback rifling passes to wide receiver Josh Gordon and tight end Jordan Cameron, two of the best at their respective positions in 2013.
Beyond that talented nucleus, the Browns have unearthed a handful of complementary skill-position players behind an offensive line that was among the NFL's most dominant prior to center Alex Mack's season-ending broken fibula.
Rookie running backs Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West have comprised an effective one-two punch, combining for 1,198 yards and 12 touchdowns through 13 games.
Free-agent acquisition Andrew Hawkins and undrafted rookie Taylor Gabriel have made plays all season, belying their status as the league's smallest wide-receiver duo.
Turning to a rookie quarterback and lacking tiebreaker advantages, the Browns' playoff chances are withering on the vine entering Week 15.
On the bright side, though, the building blocks are in place for the offense to enter the 2015 season with their best core personnel since at least 2007. The team's brass and fan base will have three games to assess Manziel's ability to maximize that potential.
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