Johnny Manziel's Wife Reflects on Tough Journey Back to Football, 'It Was a Struggle'

Johnny Manziel is about to make his first pro football start since 2015 ... and the woman he credits with saving his life is opening up on his battle back to the field.

TMZ Sports spoke with Bre Tiesi -- Johnny's wife -- on the eve of his first career start for the Montreal Alouettes ... and she admits that there were some dark days on the path to Johnny's sobriety ... and she questioned whether this day would ever come.

"It was just one of those things where it's like, 'Are we ever gonna get out of this?' Like, 'Are you gonna pull it together?'"

Bre says knowing what they've been through makes it that much sweeter to see him get another shot on Friday night ... and Johnny's poised to make the best of it.

But, Bre's not the only person in the ex-Cleveland Browns QB's corner ... she says he's been getting massive support from one of his friends -- Drake.

"Since day one, honestly. Since Johnny started getting better, he always gave a shout-out with love for that. And, same with the rest of the team and other people he's worked with and like, the guys. Everybody's shown their support the whole time and it means a lot."