CLEVELAND -- Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has returned to the starting lineup for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.
After being sidelined while in CFL Concussion Protocol following a 24-17 loss to the Ottawa RedBlacks at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa on August 11, Manziel remained on the bench as former Tiffin University standout Antonio Pipkin led the Alouettes to consecutive victories.
However, after Pipkin completed just 11 of his 22 attempts for 95 yards with four interceptions in a loss to the BC Lions last Friday night, Alouettes coach Mike Sherman announced Monday that Manziel had taken first-team repetitions in practice and returned to the starting lineup.
Manziel was traded from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to Montreal on Sunday, July 22, along with offensive linemen Tony Washington and Landon Rice in exchange for Montreal’s first-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 CFL drafts, as well as defensive lineman Jamaal Westerman and wide receiver Chris Williams.
In two games since between traded from Hamilton to Montreal, Manziel has completed 27 of his 46 attempts for 272 yards and four interceptions. Additionally, Manziel has gained 40 yards on five rushing attempts.
Manziel missed four games, including back-to-back wins over the Toronto Argonauts and a return matchup against the RedBlacks.
During his tenure in Hamilton, Manziel was behind Jeremiah Masoli on the depth chart, playing in only two preseason games, where he completed 21 of his 31 attempts (67.7 percent) with one touchdown and ran for 19 yards on six carries.
Currently, the Alouettes are 3-9 and in last place in the CFL’s East Division heading into Friday night’s game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-7) at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
This season, Winnipeg is 3-3 at home, but enters the game on a four-game losing streak.
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