Johnny Manziel was absent from practice once again Wednesday, signaling that the Montreal Alouettes quarterback likely still remains in the concussion protocol.

Alouettes head coach Mike Sherman said Wednesday Manziel has been attending meetings, but had not been cleared for outdoor practices. Sherman was optimistic Manziel could receive that clearence as soon as Wednesday.

The team will not practice again before Friday's game against the Toronto Argonauts, meaning Manziel is unlikely to dress for that contest.

Antonio Pipkin is expected to make his second straight start Friday with Matthew Shiltz serving as the team's backup. Pipkin made his first career start for the Alouettes on Saturday, completing 14 of 25 passes for 217 yards with one touchdown and one interception. 

Manziel has not been on the field since the Alouettes' Week 9 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks. He took a massive hit at the goal line in the third quarter of that game but finished the contest.

The 25-year-old began to show concussion symptoms in the following days and was placed in the concussion protocol last Wednesday. He did not dress in the team's 40-24 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday, though TSN's Farhan Lalji reported Manziel's baseline test numbers returned to normal, pre-injury levels on Friday.