Brock Osweiler - Pro Football Rumors

Texans Trade Brock Osweiler To Browns

March 9th, 2017 at 2:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Whoa! The Texans are trading quarterback Brock Osweiler and a 2018 second-round pick to the Browns in order to move his $16MM salary off the books, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Facebook link). The deal will also see the Browns’ fourth-round pick go to Houston and the Texans’ sixth-round choice to go Cleveland. The Texans have made the deal official, announcing its completion via press release.

This type of deal rarely goes down in the NFL and is more of an NBA or MLB type of transaction. In this swap, the Browns are absorbing an albatross of a deal in order to acquire significant draft compensation. The wheeling and dealing might not stop here: Cleveland is not committed to keeping Osweiler and is likely to try to trade him, sources tell Schefter.

On the other hand, maybe they’ll keep him. The Browns are expected to move on from Robert Griffin III and the Brock Osweiler acquisition should clear the way for that, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The move clears out tons of cap space for the Texans who are expected to use that money towards signing Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, Schefter writes. The deal saves $10MM in cap space for the Texans and $16MM in cash.

The Texans signed Osweiler to a four-year, $72MM roughly one year ago today with the hope that he would be their QB of the future. That, obviously, did not work out. Osweiler’s deal calls for him to earn $16MM guaranteed this year. After that, he has $18MM and $17MM non-guaranteed salaries in 2018 and 2019.

The Browns came into this week with upwards of $100MM to spend and Schefter writes that they would have struggled to spend all of it. Still, this seems like a very strange way to utilize that space. The only way this trade would make real sense for the Browns, in my view, is if they already have a final leg of the trade set up in which they deal Osweiler for something else of value. As of this writing, the Browns are spending $16MM in cash to acquire a second-round choice and that is not good business.

Texans Notes: Novak, Hopkins, Bouye

February 4th, 2017 at 11:05am CST by Ben Levine

Nick Novak had a career-year in 2016, and some members of the Texans organization believe he played a major role in the team clinching a playoff birth.

The 35-year-old played last season on a one-year, $965K contract, and the impending free agent would like to return to Houston for the 2017 campaign.

“I want to be back,” Novak told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I’m really proud of what we’ve done and I’m excited to be back with the same guys. I really feel like I can help the Texans get to where they want to go. I leave it up to my agent and the personnel department to get a deal done.

“I don’t know what kind of progress is being made, but it’s all positive. I’ve heard some really good things from [general manager] Rick Smith, [coach] Bill O’Brien, [special teams coordinator] Larry Izzo. We’ll see what happens.”

Let’s check out some more notes coming out of Houston…

The Texans passing offense was among the worst in the league this past season, and Smith understands that the team needs more out of the quarterback position if they want to contend. “We’ve got to get better production from the quarterback position,” Smith told Wilson. “We’ve got to get better production from all across our football team. We’ve got to do a good job of analyzing our football team, and that’s what we’re doing now, trying to figure out where we’re strong, where we’re weak and how we can go about improving.” Of course, Smith did note that he still believes in starter Brock Osweiler, who is owed $16MM next season. Reports from earlier this week indicated that the organization would likely take a quarterback in the upcoming draft.
Despite having one of the worse seasons of his career, wideout DeAndre Hopkins is still to eager to stick around Houston. “I love this organization and what this team is doing,” Hopkins told Wilson. “It seems like we’re getting better and better every year, so why not?” We learned earlier this week that the Texans would like to extend Hopkins, who finished last season with 78 receptions for 954 yards and four touchdowns.
A.J. Bouye is in line for a well-deserved payday, writes Wilson. Instead of taking a less-lucrative, multi-year offer last offseason, the cornerback decided to opt for a one-year, $1.6MM contract with the Texans. The 25-year-old clearly made the right decision, as he’s projected to be the best free agent defensive back. Wilson expects that the Texans will have around $25MM in cap space, and he projects Bouye to receive an offer that pays around $13MM annually.

Extra Points: Texans, Broncos, Cowboys, Bills

January 16th, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Texans head coach Bill O’Brien will return to the organization next season, but will he opt for the same starting quarterback? O’Brien wouldn’t commit when asked if he was going to stick with quarterback Brock Osweiler in 2017.

“Before I talk about those types of things, I have to evaluate it myself,” O’Brien told ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop. “I’ve got to talk to our coaching staff, get their input, personnel people, get their input. So I wouldn’t be a good head coach if I stood up here and said, this is what I’m planning to do. The game is less than 48 hours ago. We’re going to evaluate everything.”

Osweiler finished his first season in Houston with 2,957 yards, 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. It seems like offensive coordinator George Godsey may have earned the brunt of the blame for the team’s offensive woes, as the coach and the organization parted ways earlier today.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFL…

Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos are set to interview two coaches for their special teams coordinator vacancy: Richard Hightower and Greg McMahon. Hightower joined the Bears last offseason as their assistant special teams coach, and he previously spent time coaching the 49ers, Browns, and Redskins. McMahon served as the Saints special teams coordinator from 2008 through 2017. The longtime coach was let go by the organization in early January.
The Raiders have promoted midwest scout Trey Scott to the position of Assistant Director of Player Personnel, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Scott has spent the past four seasons with the organization, and he previously spent time working with the Redskins.
The Cowboys announced the signing of 12 players today, but the team isn’t done making moves. ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweets that the team is still trying to finalize deals with practice squad players Rico Gathers and Andy Jones. Gathers, a tight end, was a sixth-round pick in this past year’s draft. Jones, a former undrafted free agent, spent much of the season on the Cowboys practice squad.
Bills safety Aaron Williams has dealt with mulitple neck injuries, but his dad told John Wawrow of the Associated Press that the former second-rounder intends to keep playing. “He’s leaning toward coming back,” Anthony Williams said. “We’ll take it slow and go from there.” The 26-year-old has been productive when he’s been on the field, but he’s been limited to only 10 games over the past two seasons.

Brock Osweiler To Start Next Week

January 7th, 2017 at 7:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

There won’t be any speculation about the Texans turning back to Tom Savage for their divisional-round date against either the Patriots or Chiefs. Houston will stick with Brock Osweiler next weekend, Bill O’Brien said postgame (via Mark Berman of Fox 26, on Twitter), halting a potential quarterback controversy on the heels of the Texans’ first playoff win in four years.

Osweiler lost his job late in the regular season to Savage but was summoned back into duty after the younger backup suffered a concussion in Week 17. The maligned free agent signing received his first playoff start today and completed 14-of-25 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another in the Texans’ 27-14 win.

Savage stepped in initially for the slumping Osweiler and gave the Texans a spark during their Week 15 and Week 16 victories over the Jaguars and Bengals, helping the franchise secure its second straight AFC South title. He threw for 260 yards against the Jags but hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass this season and remained in concussion protocol leading up to Houston’s wild-card game. Had the third-year passer not encountered concussion trouble, he likely would have been the starter against Oakland.

Instead, the quarterback who has been benched late in each of the past two regular seasons will make his another playoff start and continue an attempt to live up to the four-year, $72MM deal he signed this offseason.

Brock Osweiler To Start For Texans

January 3rd, 2017 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

Brock Osweiler will start at quarterback for the Texans in Saturday’s playoff game against the Raiders, coach Bill O’Brien announced. If Tom Savage clears concussion protocol, he’ll serve as the team’s backup. It was widely expected that Osweiler would get the start after Savage suffered a significant blow to the head.

Signed to a $72MM deal this offseason, Osweiler was expected to flourish as a full-time starter. Instead, he was inconsistent at best and putrid at his worst, leading the team to make a quarterback change late in the season. Savage might not be a superstar, but he was playing much better than Osweiler in his limited sample. After suffering a concussion, the Texans really had no choice but to revert to Osweiler this weekend.

After taking over in the regular season finale, Osweiler completed 21-of-40 passes for 253 yards and a passing touchdown with no interceptions. He also added a rushing touchdown from one yard out.

Texans To Start Tom Savage At QB

December 19th, 2016 at 3:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Is the Brock Osweiler era already over in Houston? Moments ago, Texans coach Bill O’Brien announced that Tom Savage will be the team’s Week 16 starter.

“[We] feel like Tom Savage gives us the best chance to win,” O’Brien said (via NFL.com) “… There’s a lot for him to improve on, but I thought he threw the ball well yesterday.”

Next up for the Texans is a Week 16 contest against the Bengals. O’Brien did not indicate whether Savage was guaranteed to start in the final game against the Titans, so the door could potentially open again for Osweiler.

Savage entered Sunday’s game against the Jaguars when the Texans were down 13-0. From there, he led Houston to a 21-20 victory in a game that may have decided Gus Bradley‘s fate in Jacksonville (for what it’s worth, the Jags claim that Bradley would have been fired regardless). Savage finished 23-of-36 passing for 260 yards. He didn’t thrown for a touchdown, but he didn’t have any interceptions either.

With two games to go, the 8-6 Texans hold the AFC South tiebreaker over the Titans. With so much at stake, the Texans are going with the quarterback that they believe gives them the best chance to win.

Osweiler signed a four-year, $72MM contract with the Texans prior to this season. If Savage proves to be the better QB the rest of the way, Houston will have an interesting situation on its hands in March.

Texans Bench Brock Osweiler

December 18th, 2016 at 1:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Down 13-0 to the Jaguars in the second quarter, the Texans have benched quarterback Brock Osweiler in favor of Tom Savage. Osweiler, signed to a four-year, $72MM contract in the offseason, had completed just six of 11 passes for 48 yards and two interceptions during today’s contest.

Whether or not the switch is permanent is unclear, and could depend on how Savage performs for the rest of the game against Jacksonville. Head coach Bill O’Brien will surely address the issue following the game, and speak as to whether Savage will lead the Texans for the remainder of the season. Despite Osweiler’s poor play, Houston has still posted a 7-6 record has a 45% chance of making the postseason (per Football Outsiders), so the choice of starting quarterback still has major implications for the 2016 campaign.

Osweiler, 26, has been on the worst QBs in the NFL this season, as he’s completed less than 60% of his passes while averaging 5.8 yards per attempt and tossing 14 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. Given that he received $37MM in guarantees under the terms of his deal with the Texans, Osweiler will be extremely difficult to release before 2018. Theoretically, Houston could make him a post-June 1 cut next offseason, but the club would take on $19MM in dead money and wouldn’t realize any cap savings.

Savage, meanwhile, was a fourth-round pick in the 2014 draft, so he’s spent his entire career in Houston under the O’Brien regime. He played in two games during his rookie campaign, completing 10 of 19 attempts, but hasn’t seen any action since.

Texans Won’t Make Quarterback Change

November 27th, 2016 at 8:40pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler turned in another subpar performance Sunday, completing 22 of 37 passes for 246 yards and three interceptions in a 21-13 loss to the Chargers. Houston, which was in the driver’s seat in the AFC South a couple weeks ago, fell to 6-5 in the process and now holds a tenuous grip on the division lead. Despite that, the team won’t replace Osweiler with backup Tom Savage in an attempt to jump-start its offense, head coach Bill O’Brien declared Sunday (via Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com).

“No,” O’Brien said when asked whether he’d bench Osweiler. “We’re going to come in here tomorrow, we’re going to correct mistakes, and move on to Green Bay.”

After spending the first four seasons of his career as Peyton Manning‘s backup in Denver, Osweiler, 26, hit the open market last winter and inked a four-year, $72MM pact with the quarterback-desperate Texans. The deal also includes $37MM in guarantees for Osweiler, who hasn’t come close to living up to his contract in Year 1. The 6-foot-8, 235-pounder has been among the worst starters in the NFL, in fact, having tossed more picks than scores (13 to 12) while completing just 59.5 percent of his passes and averaging a paltry 5.68 yards per attempt.

The Texans’ Osweiler-led offense entered Sunday 28th in the league in points per game (18.1), 30th in yardage and dead last in DVOA, Notably, superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has also been far less productive with Osweiler at the helm than he was with the cavalcade of mediocre-at-best signal-callers who lined up under center in Houston from 2013-15. Nevertheless, with significant money invested in Osweiler and uninspiring options in Savage and Brandon Weeden behind him, the Texans will stay the course as they attempt to win their second straight division title.

Extra Points: Osweiler, Jags, 49ers, Bolts

October 24th, 2016 at 10:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Before the Broncos and Texans squared off Monday, Denver cornerback Aqib Talib revealed that the club’s players harbor resentment over quarterback Brock Osweiler‘s offseason departure. Osweiler joined the Texans on a four-year, $72MM deal in free agency after it appeared he would take over the Broncos’ offense from the retired Peyton Manning. “We believed in him,” said Talib (via ESPN.com). “We thought he was going to be our QB. We feel like he reneged on us.” Osweiler’s exit has so far gone swimmingly for the the reigning Super Bowl champion Broncos, who have gotten quality production from signal-caller Trevor Siemian at a minimal cost. Meanwhile, the high-priced Osweiler has been among the NFL’s worst starters in 2016.

Tension Emerges Between O’Brien, Osweiler

October 16th, 2016 at 6:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Texans prepared for tonight’s Week 6 game against the Colts, their head coach and new quarterback engaged in a heated discussion about the offense. Bill O’Brien and Brock Osweiler argued after a quarterbacks meeting this week, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports.

During the meeting, the first-year Texans quarterback objected to some of O’Brien’s play-calling decisions in their Week 5 loss to the Vikings, La Canfora notes, and the two did not exactly do much to suppress their loud exchange after the routine review of the Week 5 loss. O’Brien took over the Texans’ play-calling responsibilities earlier in the season.

Sources informed the CBS reporter ownership and upper management began the push for the Osweiler contract (four years, $72MM). However, we heard over the summer O’Brien had the fifth-year quarterback “atop his free agent list” after Houston’s 2015 season ended in January, so some potential buyer’s remorse may be surfacing.

Texans officials downplayed this incident as the type that goes on during a season, per La Canfora. But considering O’Brien benched Brian Hoyer in Week 1 of last season before eventually going back to him when Ryan Mallett sputtered, this could be something to observe. Osweiler’s job security probably isn’t going to be in jeopardy like Hoyer’s considering the kind of investment the franchise made in him, and the fact that Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden are behind him.

Osweiler has thrown six touchdown passes compared to seven interceptions and carries a 70.6 quarterback rating, which ranked 31st in the league coming into Sunday’s games. The Texans beefed up their offensive spending this offseason as well, devoting nearly all of their resources to fortifying that side of the ball. Houston signed Lamar Miller and Jeff Allen before drafting Will Fuller and Braxton Miller. Houston’s offense has produced just 75 points in five games, and Osweiler completed 19-of-42 passes against the Vikings.

This report comes a few months after John Elway‘s comments about the former Broncos second-round pick being miffed upon being benched for Peyton Manning during Week 17 of last season.