BEREA, Ohio -- Mike Pettine is known as an honest assessor, which is why we know he’s honestly curious what Johnny Manziel can do for him on Sundays.

Seems innocent enough. But he’s not talking about the starter. That’s Brian Hoyer. He’s 4-3. He’s also a free agent in a couple of months.

So Pettine, even though he’s made clear he won’t force Manziel into the lineup unnecessarily, still keeps the door slightly cracked at a critical time.

“That’s a question that we need to have answered,” said Pettine about his anxiousness to get a full evaluation on Manziel, which only comes with significant snaps on Sundays.

Perhaps it’s not Pettine cracking the door as much as the Browns swinging it open in May with the drafting of a headline-generating first-rounder.

Pettine’s question also seems difficult to answer now. It could be four years or four weeks and neither would shock. The Browns will always play those who maximize chances to win, Pettine says, and that goes for every position.

What’s clear is no NFL team has a quarterback situation quite like the Browns, with a first-round rookie waiting behind a free-agent starter. Hoyer and Arizona’s Carson Palmer are the only upcoming free-agent quarterbacks who have started more than four games this year.

If the Browns want Hoyer around beyond this year, is there a way to keep both quarterbacks happy? Only two options seem feasible for that outcome: (A) transition tag Hoyer at around $16 million for one year, or (B) sign Hoyer to a two- or three-year bridge deal. That gives Hoyer more reps and Manziel more time to develop. But my guess is Hoyer wouldn’t be thrilled with either option. Hoyer’s agent is Joe Linta, who bet big with Joe Flacco by waiting until after the 2012 season to cut a deal. Flacco’s Super Bowl season helped him earn a reported $52 million guaranteed.

Hoyer and Linta could table talks until the offseason. Hoyer’s a confident guy. Why not bet on himself?

Hoyer’s free agency will force the Browns into a long-term quarterback decision in the next four months. But if you take free agency out of it, Pettine seems comfortable evaluating the quarterback position week-to-week instead of year-to-year.

I asked him Wednesday if an NFL team can let good quarterbacks sit for three or four years in today’s NFL culture with the patience of a Wendy’s drive-thru.

“To me, it’s look at your roster and who gives you the best chance to win,” Pettine said. “If you have a guy on your roster that’s doing that for you and somebody is sitting and waiting, I think the mistakes are made when teams get impatient. That they have to know or that guy has to play. I think it’s easy in the coaching world, because it’s who gives us the best chance to win today. We’ll worry about tomorrow down the road.”

For all the questions about Manziel, Hoyer’s outlook is simple: Win games and do so with command of the offense and he’ll remain the starter. As long as that door is cracked, this is a quarterback picture with many layers to it.