Even as 
Teddy Bridgewater has flatlined somewhat with his recent performance, the 
Minnesota Vikings  feel secure they have their quarterback; they have no regrets at this  stage. However, let us remember that before the Vikings traded back into  the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, they first attempted to trade up  to get 
Johnny Manziel. They failed to get a deal done, and the 
Cleveland Browns got their man. And there were a couple of other teams intrigued by Manziel, such as the 
St. Louis Rams and the 
Dallas Cowboys.
So  while Manziel returns to the field Sunday as the Browns' starting  quarterback, it is fair to speculate that he's auditioning not just for  Cleveland but also for the Cowboys or another team in 2016.
One  prominent team executive believes Manziel probably can't do enough on  the field "under the reality that he's just not playing with a very good  cast around him" to make a convincing case that he is indeed the  quarterback of the future for the Browns. "He would almost have to be  spectacular and the Browns win games we don't expect them to win. And  even then, to what extent has [Manziel] burned bridges there where no  matter what he does, either the present regime or the next regime will  still be looking for another guy?" the executive pondered, speaking on  the condition of anonymity.
The Browns, at this rate, will be in  position to take one of the projected top quarterbacks in the 2016  draft, whether it's Connor Cook (Michigan State), Jared Goff (Cal),  Christian Hackenberg (Penn State) or Paxton Lynch (Memphis). Ironically  the Cowboys also figure to be in a top-10 position to draft a  quarterback who can be groomed as a successor to 
Tony Romo.  Only it's unlikely Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is  going to spend a top-10 pick on a quarterback if he's staring at a  number of nonquarterback players who can help push Dallas to that Super  Bowl level.
The same team executive said the Browns can probably  eventually entice Jones to offer a conditional fourth-round draft pick  for Manziel, even with the knowledge that the former Texas A&M  quarterback was the top-rated player on the Cowboys' board in 2014.  Jones also showed everyone he was thinking team ahead of heart when he  relented to select Notre Dame guard 
Zack Martin, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
The Cowboys' failures this year with backup quarterbacks 
Brandon Weeden and 
Matt Cassel  have only helped the case for Manziel as a candidate to become Romo's  backup and possible successor. Sometimes the obvious is just that --  obvious.