NFL Insider: Charean Williams’ five cents

My five cents

1 Brian Hoyer deserves to start this week. But if the Cleveland Browns lose, their playoff hopes will vanish, and they can give Johnny Manziel the job the rest of the season. Hoyer got the Browns into this position, but he has only one touchdown pass and six interceptions the past three games. So he isn’t likely to keep the Browns in contention — or keep his job.

2 The New York Giants drafted 76 players from 2009-13. Only one, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, has developed into a Pro Bowler. Worse still, 38 of the 76 are out of the league, and eight others play for other teams. The Giants have not drafted well, which is a big reason they are where they are.

3 The Tampa Bay Bucs continue to search for an identity under offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, who took over the job in September. Tampa Bay signed Josh McCown to a two-year, $10 million contract as a stopgap quarterback, but he has seven touchdowns and nine interceptions in seven starts. With what could be a top-five pick, the Bucs need to invest in a quarterback.

4 Oddsmakers list Jim Harbaugh as a 2-1 favorite to land at the University of Michigan. But the Oakland Raiders reportedly have interest in trading with the 49ers for Harbaugh. Who knows where Harbaugh ends up, but it appears likely he won’t stay in San Francisco.

5 Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston should become one of the highest-paid defensive players in the league during the off-season. Houston, who has a league-leading 14 sacks, is in the final year of his rookie contract with a $1.4 million salary this season. The franchise tag for linebackers in 2015 will exceed $12 million on a one-year deal, if the Chiefs can’t sign him to a long-term deal.

This story was originally published December 6, 2014 at 7:46 PM with the headline "NFL Insider: Charean Williams’ five cents."