In case you missed it, Brock Osweiler is now a Houston Texan. On March 9th, he signed a contract worth $72 million dollars with $37 million guaranteed. He was also given a $12 million dollar signing bonus. Guaranteeing any player $37 million dollars is not an easy decision for an organization, but doing it for a quarterback who has only started seven games is extremely risky.
Houston Texans Gave Brock Osweiler Way Too Much Money
Osweiler’s Resume
The quarterback is still a relatively young player at only 25 years old. This means he has the ability to continue to evolve his game. However, he has spent four years with the Denver Broncos, and during that time period he only managed to start seven games (5-2 record). All of his starts came in the 2015-2016 season, with Peyton Manning sidelined due to injury. Before this season he had seen some game time but it was very limited. Throughout those seven starts, he was able to throw for ten touchdowns along with six interceptions.
Things the Texans probably loved about Osweiler are his strong arm and surprisingly nimble feet for a tall, lanky player. Brock is 6’7″, which is a height that is highly valued because it allows him to see over his offensive linemen. Shorter quarterbacks are forced to find throwing windows and this can cause problems when it comes to reading defenses. From an athletic standpoint, Osweiler looks like the perfect prototype for an NFL quarterback.
The Houston Texans’ Decision
Many NFL teams are looking for their franchise quarterback. In an era where so much of a team’s success depends on how well they can throw the ball, the importance of quarterback play has never been higher. The Texans saw that Osweiler would be available and knew they had a shot to get him. After struggling in recent years without a solid quarterback, it is obvious that they were desperate to get their man. They laid down huge sums of guaranteed money to ensure Brock Osweiler would be a Houston Texan, which proves that they believe he is the future of their franchise. With Osweiler’s performance in his seven starts being relatively good, many people can see how he could fit into Houston’s system. The Broncos were not able to place Peyton Manning under center much and when Osweiler was in the game, he did so regularly. This is what he will be expected to do often in Houston.
The Risk
Brock Osweiler is still developing. Spending four years with a team is great experience. The Texans know he has adjusted to the life of a professional athlete and can be confident they won’t have to worry about off-field concerns with Osweiler. However, giving a player with only seven starts a contract worth $72 million dollars could prove to be one of the worst decisions ever made by the Texans organization. This is not the first time that another team’s backup quarterback has been brought in and expected to start. It rarely works in favor of the new team. For example, the Seahawks were extremely lucky when they chose to draft Russell Wilson. This is because they had brought in former second-string Packers quarterback Matt Flynn. Flynn was an overhyped backup and he wowed teams with only a few in-game appearances. After he was not able to win the starting job in Seattle, he quietly bounced around the league (five other teams) and is currently a free agent. It is apparent that Flynn was not who the Seattle Seahawks thought he was going to be. Coming into a new team with different players and a different system is difficult.
Osweiler is in a similar position that Flynn was. He wowed teams with his limited amount of time on the field and he played the role of a backup behind a talented starter. Now he is heading to a new team that is not as talented as where he came from, and this comes with a high amount of pressure to become a starting quarterback worthy of his large contract. Osweiler did win five of the seven games he started in, but how much of this was because of him? The same team that won those five games was able to win a Super Bowl while only throwing two passing touchdowns throughout the entire playoffs. Now he is surrounded by a team with less talent, different coaches, and a new playbook. With the high amount of money involved and the limited playing time Osweiler’s had, it is possible that he will be an enormous bust in Houston.
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