Former first-round pick Johnny Manziel will start for the Cleveland Browns in their final six games this season.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine announced on Tuesday that the sophomore quarterback will get the chance to show he deserves to become the face of their franchise.

Pettine said that Manziel earned the starting nod after completing 33-of-45 passes for 372 yards with one touchdown and one interception during their 30-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. He stepped in for Josh McCown, who went down with a rib injury.

Despite absorbing a blowout loss against the Steelers, Pettine said that Manziel performed well enough to earn the chance to start for their remaining matches this season.

"He took a big step forward in a lot of the small details of quarterback play," Pettine said of Manziel via ESPN. "It's as simple as that for us, just to continue to get better. He did some good things but there's some things that can be improved upon."

Manziel, who has started in three games this season, will make his first start as the No. 1 quarterback of the team in their Monday Night Football match against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 30.

The former Texas A&M standout, who was the 22nd overall pick during the 2014 NFL Draft, said that he knows he performed well during their loss to the Steelers, but admitted he was surprised when he was informed that he will become the team's full-time starter.

"I was a little caught off-guard," Manziel said via Cleveland.com. "I thought I played well enough to be the starter for the rest of the year but I didn't know."

The Browns are currently at the cellar of the AFC North standings with their 2-8 record. They are on pace to get a chance to draft a top player next year, including a possible franchise quarterback.

When asked if his decision to start Manziel has something to do with their offseason plans, Pettine declined to talk about the draft, but he said that they are evaluating every position.

"We want to get a good sense of where he is and when the season's over, you always clear the table and evaluate each position," Pettine said. "This will allow us to have a lot more information as we assess the quarterback position moving forward."