The Sports Xchange

Cleveland Browns All-Pro offensive tackle Joe Thomas said quarterback Johnny Manziel, who is undergoing rehab treatment, will have to win back the trust of his teammates.

Thomas said Manziel “lost a lot of trust” after he named the starter late last season.

“I think he’s going to have to prove to the team that football is important and being ‘the man,’ being the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, is important, it is his goal, his single goal in his life,” Thomas told ESPNCleveland.com.

“You know, I think he lost probably a lot of trust among the guys on the team last year by the way he handled himself once he became the starter. And I think he had a lot of time to reflect, I’m guessing, after the season was over by the comments he made in the media and by his actions, checking himself into rehab. … I think those were really positive steps.”

Manziel, selected by the Browns with the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 draft, voluntarily entered treatment on Jan. 28. He played some weekend golf with his father in Shreveport, La., leading to speculation that he may be released soon from his rehab treatment.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Manziel could be out of treatment as early as this week.

The Browns have said they expect Manziel to be out of rehab in time to participate in the team’s workouts, which start April 20.

“I’m hoping when we come back in April, we see a new Johnny and everybody’s blown away with his commitment,” Thomas said. “And I think he’s got the talent, so it’s just a matter of if he commits himself to it, we can have a really good quarterback on our hands.”

Thomas, an eight-time Pro Bowl tackle, said he was pleased when the Browns signed free agent quarterback Josh McCown this offseason.

“Obviously there’s some uncertainty with Johnny right now and that’s why we brought in Josh,” Thomas said. “He’s a guy that if he’s asked to carry the flag this year, he’s going to do a great job. There’s a chance we draft somebody or there’s a chance Johnny comes back and he’s a new person and he’s rededicated to football, and he turns into the great quarterback that we expected when we drafted him in the first round.”

Manziel started two games in his rookie season and completed 18 of 35 passes for 175 yards and added nine rushes for 29 yards. He was placed on injured reserve after injuring his hamstring in Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers.