AP

The Browns once again have given the starting quarterback job to Johnny Manziel. Once again, there’s a chance it may not last long.

On Wednesday, coach Mike Pettine told reporters that, if Manziel makes another misstep, he’ll once again face the consequences.

“[I]f something were to occur, I could imagine that the repercussions would be harsh,” Pettine told reporters on Wednesday.

Pettine twice mentioned Manziel’s off-field issues and “well-documented violation of trust,” but Pettine otherwise praised Manziel.

“[E]verything else has been solid,” Pettine said, “the preparation in the building. Even when he wasn’t the guy, whether it was Josh [McCown] or whether it was Austin [Davis], he was very supportive. He upheld his responsibilities as the backup as is required in that room. We’ve seen the improvement that he took. . . . We have a guy that we’ve invested a lot in. We have four games left, and this will give us a good sense of where we are with that room moving forward.”

So what does Manziel have to do to be the guy leading the quarterback room in 2016?

“Do his job,” Pettine said. “Do his job and understand that it’s not just about on the field. I’ve said that: To be a starting quarterback in this league, with that comes great responsibility. The field is part of it and off the field is another part of it. What does he have to do? It’s day-to-day and work. We already talked about getting things rebuilt, and that does take time, but for all of our players, what you strive for is respect of your teammates and trust of your coaches. It’s even more so when you’re a starting quarterback. We feel he’s capable of getting there, but it’s a process.”

Manziel indeed could be the starter in Cleveland next year, but there’s a very good chance Pettine won’t be there. To little surprise, he’s on this week’s PFT Live coaching hot seat.