Cleveland Browns: Brock Osweiler could interest several teams in a trade
Brock Osweiler seems to have blown his chance to start for the Cleveland Browns, but that doesn’t mean he can’t start elsewhere in 2017.
Just two weeks ago it seemed Brock Osweiler was set to be the Week 1 starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Two poor performances and one solar eclipse later and he may not even be around for the season opener.
Hue Jackson came out Wednesday and named DeShone Kizer the starter for Saturday’s preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while also saying Osweiler isn’t even expected to play. The third preseason game is when the starters usually play the most, so benching Osweiler isn’t a great sign for the veteran.
Benching him for the game isn’t necessarily signaling an imminent trade, but it has not been a secret that Osweiler has been available in trades since the moment the Browns acquired him.
His guaranteed $16 million salary this year makes it hard to trade him, so the Browns would likely have to pay a large portion of that salary wherever he went.
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At first glance, a few teams stand out as potential landing spots for Osweiler. The first is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are currently starting Chad Henne over Blake Bortles. With Bortles seemingly at the end of his tenure as a starter, taking a chance on Osweiler could be better for the Jaguars than starting Henne.
The Indianapolis Colts are another team, as Andrew Luck‘s injury timetable remains a mystery after offseason shoulder surgery. The alternative is starting Scott Tolzien, all but derailing the potential with that team.
Another option could be the Baltimore Ravens, depending on Joe Flacco‘s timetable for a return. Ryan Mallett is already there, but Osweiler could provide some more depth for the team while they await Flacco’s return.
The Ravens would be the least desperate out of the three teams mentioned, meaning the Browns may have to pay too much of Osweiler’s deal for a trade to be worth it.
There is also the possibility no team wants to take on Osweiler after seeing how poorly he has played, but NFL fans know just how desperate teams get when it comes to quarterbacks. Just look at the money the Chicago Bears handed to Mike Glennon this year, or even the deal that landed Osweiler in Houston.
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The narrative when Osweiler arrived was that he was going to be traded at any time, and that remains true. Fans just didn’t realize the process would last this long.