Manziel on the Move: Will Johnny Football Start in Montreal, Return to NFL?

• Johnny Manziel has been traded from Hamilton to Montreal, where he should become the QB1 in short order. 
• When will Manziel make the first start of his CFL career?
• Will Johnny Football use this as a stepping stone to an NFL return?

Here’s Voici Johnny!

Six weeks into his CFL career, Johnny Manziel has been traded from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to the Montreal Alouettes in a deal that also sent two offensive linemen to Montreal (Tony Washington and Landon Rice) in exchange for DE Jamaal Westerman, WR Chris Williams, and two first-round draft picks (2020, 2021).

BREAKING: The Alouettes have landed Johnny Manziel.https://t.co/fBV3fnDNdT

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 22, 2018

Buried behind incumbent Jeremiah Masoli on the Tiger-Cats’ depth chart, Johnny Football had yet to throw a pass in the regular season. That should change quickly on a Montreal team that is not only deadlast in the league in scoring (13.8 PPG) but also just lost starting QB Drew Willy to a hand injury.

2018 CFL STANDINGS (WEEK 6)

Montreal didn’t give up two valuable roster pieces and two first-round picks to have Manziel sit on the bench. Plus, third-stringer Mike Shiltz was pretty terrible in relief of Willy in Week 6.

Ordinarily, an incoming QB would get a week or two to settle in and learn the playbook before being thrust into game action. But that may not be the case for Manziel in Montreal for a few reasons.

First, as mentioned, starter Drew Willy is out. Second, so is Willy’s backup, Jeff Matthews. Third, Manziel may not need as much time since he’ll be joining a coach he is already familiar with: former Texas A&M boss Mike Sherman, the man who recruited Manziel to College Station.

The flailing Alouettes are on a short week, however, with their next game coming on Thursday (July 26) at home against the Edmonton Eskimos. Is that really enough time for Manziel to get comfortable and make the start?

And if it is, is he being set up to fail? Montreal’s problems on offense go well beyond the QB position.

JOHNNY MANZIEL ODDS & PROPS

Montreal didn’t give up two valuable roster pieces and two first-round picks to have Manziel sit on the bench. Plus, third-stringer Mike Shiltz was pretty terrible in relief of Willy in Week 6, going 16-25 for 160 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 25-8 loss to Calgary.

Falling to 1-5 would put a big dent on any playoff hopes Sherman and company have. Unless they have reason to think Shiltz can be significantly better than what he showed last week, Manziel’s upside will be tempting in Week 7, even if he only knows 10% of the playbook.

Don’t expect Manziel to break any CFL records this season, though. The team was lacking at wideout before the trade, and now leading receiver Chris Williams is headed to Hamilton. Only two players left on the roster have more than 10 catches on the season and one of them is running back Tyrell Sutton. Even liberal projections should top out at less than 250 yards and two touchdowns per game for Manziel. It’s just not a good situation in Montreal.

Will that be enough to land him another crack at an NFL career? Given that his current CFL contract is a two-year deal, all he needs to do this year to keep his NFL dream alive is play well enough to return as a CFL starter in 2019, and that is something the fleet-footed pivot should be able to accomplish.

While many American bettors will be unfamiliar with wagering on the CFL, top sportsbooks have CFL odds in their football sections. The spread and moneyline for Edmonton at Montreal is closed at the moment, but will reopen once Montreal’s QB situation becomes a little more transparent.