>>Giants Bring Back WR Nicks With WR Cruz Out
To fill their void at wide receiver, the New York Giants are turning to a familiar face. On Tuesday, a day after Victor Cruz announced he will undergo season-ending calf surgery, the Giants signed Hakeem Nicks, who played for the team from 2009-13.
Nicks said, via the Giants' official website quote - "This is home. You know what they say, 'Let a dog roam, he'll find his way home.' They left the back door open for me."
In his five seasons in New York, Nicks averaged roughly 62 catches and 924 yards per season. But once he left the Giants, Nicks' career nosedived. As a member of the Colts in 2014, Nicks caught just 38 passes for 405 yards.
Earlier this season, the Giants brought in Nicks and Wes Welker for a workout but didn't sign either player. Welker was scooped up by the Rams last week, and now Nicks has finally latched onto a team -- one that could use some help at the position.
While the Giants' lineup boasts Odell Beckham Jr., they've failed to find a reliable second and third target for Eli Manning. Rueben Randle and Dwayne Harris, who sit behind Beckham in the pecking order, have combined for 64 catches.
>>Johnny Manziel Named Browns Starter For Remainder of the Year
The Browns are giving Johnny Manziel the quarterback reins for the rest of the season.
Cleveland has been bouncing back and forth between Manziel and Josh McCown based on the latter's injury status, but on Tuesday the Browns announced that they are going with Manziel as the starter under center for the rest of the year.
Cleveland is 2-8, a long, long way from contention this year.
Taken in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Manziel's first year was a waste. His offseason was even worse, with the quarterback going to treatment for off-field issues.
But he's shown progress as a quarterback and the only way to figure out if he can play the position during live game action is with, well, live game action.
Giving him a shot to play now and seeing how he handles it is the right call. It makes evaluating the roster and the quarterback position for 2016 substantially easier if you can get multiple games of "confident he's starting" tape from Manziel.
The tests will be tough, too. Division games against the Ravens and Bengals are up next (both at home), followed by a matchup against the 49ers at home.
Then a back-to-back trip to play the Seahawks and Chiefs in two of the toughest road spots in the NFL are followed by a home closer against the Steelers.
Manziel had one of his best games as a pro against the Steelers, completing 73.3 percent of his passes for 372 yards and a 95.8 passer rating.
