To say Johnny Manziel had a disappointing rookie season would be an understatement.
His Browns teammates are standing by him, though.
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"I believe that he'll come in, he'll earn our trust back," safety Donte Whitner said Tuesday following the team's uniform unveiling, according to the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. "He's that type of guy. He'll have to compete for his job, but I believe he'll be up for that challenge. We'll welcome him back with open arms.''
The Browns traded back into the first round last year to select the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M with the 22nd overall pick. His NFL debut came in an embarrassing 30-0 loss to Cincinnati before he was hurt a week later at Carolina.
Manziel's brash personality, cocky demeanor and nightlife antics had many around the Browns organization questioning his commitment to football. Manziel checked himself into a treatment facility in early February with the intent to improve as a family member, friend and teammate. The decision drew praise from Browns coach Mike Pettine, and his Cleveland teammates have also commended him.
"I don't even know the issues,'' linebacker Karlos Dansby said, per the Plain Dealer. "That's a personal thing, man. I just knew it was distracting his game. It wasn't allowing him to be himself out on the field. It wasn't allowing him to express himself the way we all have seen him play at the collegiate level.
"Whatever he was dealing with was suppressing him, so him being able to check himself in and try to get that relief, I think it was huge.''
Browns captain Joe Thomas has been one of Manziel's more outspoken critics, saying earlier in the offseason that he lost the trust of his teammates. But Thomas took a softer approach to the young quarterback on Tuesday.
"There was some doubt based on what he did last year if football was the most important thing," Thomas said, via the Plain Dealer. "He's made excellent strides already in the offseason kind of setting himself up.
"What people do away from the building and in the offseason doesn't really matter in the end. It matters about showing up, practicing hard, taking the film study seriously, committing yourself to the meetings and playing on Sundays. The offseason stuff in the end doesn't really matter.''