Former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel has not played in a competitive football setting since being cut by the Cleveland Browns following the 2015 season.
That will change this Saturday in Texas during The Spring League, as Manziel takes the field for the offseason showcase. The Spring League debuted last year as a way for young players to showcase their talent for NFL and CFL teams.
Manziel will serve as a QB for the Spring League South squad, with games scheduled for April 7 and April 14.
On Wednesday, Manziel joined The Dan Patrick Show to discuss the latest step in his NFL comeback.
Below is an excerpt of what Manziel had to say about the Spring League, from what it means for his comeback to the value it can have for young guys trying to make a career in pro football:
"It's a week of training camp, play a game. Four or five more days of practice and training camp, then play another game. It's quick, but at the same time, I have to have a step forward after being out of football for two years. I have to get back around the playbook, get around guys. Throwing real, moving routes with linemen in my face. This is Step One to getting back to where I need to be. Even though it's not the exact equivalent of where I want to be, I feel the way everything is being run with the coaches and guys we have here, this is a step in the right direction for what young guys need.
"When a training camp gets cut from 90 guys in OTAs to 54, where do the rest of those guys go? Some go to the practice squad. Some go to Canada. But there's a lot of guys that have gone through the last six years of their life thinking that the NFL is going to be their job, and when it comes down to it, the reality of the situation is that it's not."
Manziel also went on to talk about his battle with addiction, what went wrong for him in Cleveland and what he thinks about when he sees his Heisman Trophy.
Listen to the full interview above.