The woes of Brock Osweiler continue following the decision of the Cleveland Browns to release him. With DeShone Kizer named to start for the team, it made no sense to retain the 26-year-old who would have burdened with the remaining three years of his original $72 million deal given by the Houston Texans.
Osweiler has hardly lived up to the hype tied up to that lucrative deal. After underperforming, the Texans traded Brock to the Browns along with a second-round pick according to the Bleacher Report. With Browns coach Hue Jackson opting to stay silent, most felt Osweiler had a real shot to start for Cleveland.
Unfortunately, the decision to go with Kizer put a damper on all that.
Prodigal son returns
Osweiler was eventually cut by the Browns though he wasn’t left unemployed for long. The Denver Broncos opted to give the prodigal player another chance. According to NFL.com, the Broncos picked up Brock from free agency despite their colorful past.
Curiously, Broncos General Manager John Elway seems to have taken everything in stride. He still believes Brock can win football games and believe his experience can plug up the hole Denver was trying to address when Paxton Lynch got hurt (shoulder).
The timing was right considering Denver was on the prowl for a veteran quarterback. Seeing how Osweiler is returning to his old team, he was the perfect player to get for the situation compared to other unemployed quarterbacks in the market.
Osweiler to reprise backup role
Osweiler would have been the starting quarterback last season had he not jumped ship. He played behind Peyton Manning in 2016. Now, he finds himself playing behind Trevor Siemian with the possibility of getting pushed down further once Paxton Lynch returns from injury.
Elway reveals that they will evaluate the quarterback situation once Lynch is cleared to return.
For Osweiler, these are the conditions that he will have to deal with – an aftermath of that decision to join the Texans.
The best he can do right now is work on his game and prove to the Broncos he can help them win games. Last season saw an error-prone Osweiler, a facet of his game he will have to work on.
Depending on how long Lynch takes to recuperate, Osweiler has the time on work on that in the coming months.
Being a one-year deal, the 26-year-old gets a new lease on his NFL career which will hopefully put a stamp on his stroke of misfortunes.
To make room for Osweiler, the Broncos had to place Shane Ray on the injured reserve. The 24-year-old outside linebacker is out with a torn ligament in his left wrist according to Denverbroncos.com.
