NFL Rumors: Denver Broncos Not Surprised Brock Osweiler Signed With Houston Texans

NFL rumors swirled around Brock Osweiler for much of the past week because many wanted to know what he was going to be doing in free agency. The 25-year-old quarterback decided to leave the Denver Broncos and sign with the Houston Texans. While that may be a shock to fans, the Broncos themselves were prepared for it. According to the NFL website, Denver knew that Osweiler was going to be leaving them for another NFL team.

Head coaches and general managers in the NFL often have to make really tough decisions. Gary Kubiak and John Elway were tasked with that last season when Peyton Manning was struggling. The two of them had no choice but to bench the legendary player and replace him with Brock Osweiler. Rather than sticking with their young and budding star, the Broncos decided to go back to Manning, which did not sit well with Osweiler.

When free agency came around, Brock Osweiler did the smart thing by listening to what the Denver Broncos were offering. John Elway was willing to pay Osweiler $16 million a season to be the starting quarterback for the Broncos. Osweiler and his agent took that figure to the Houston Texans to see what they would offer him. At the end of the day, Brock decided that the $18 million salary from the Texans and a fresh start was much more appealing.

The signing of Brock Osweiler has to be considered quite the coup for the Houston Texans. The team was able to make the NFL Playoffs last season even though they did not have a quality starting quarterback. Their defense was dominating enough to compensate for the lack of a good passing game. Osweiler showed what he can do on offense when he has a strong defense backing him up when he was the starter for the Denver Broncos.

When the Houston Texans stated that they wanted to improve their offense so that they can keep up with the defense, the team wasn’t kidding. In addition to signing Brock Osweiler for $72 million, the Texans also acquired Lamar Miller in free agency. The former Miami Dolphins running back was highly coveted by several NFL teams. The belief is that he will help Houston put up a lot of yards and score a lot of touchdowns.

With Brock Osweiler, Lamar Millier and DeAndre Hopkins, the Houston Texans boast quality starters at quarterback, running back, and wide receivers. Those are three of the most vital positions on offense. If the Texans were able to rank 19th in the NFL on offense with lesser players, then this season should see them challenging for a spot among the ten best offenses in the National Football League.

Unless they can miraculously pull off some moves, the Denver Broncos look to be taking a major fall. They might go from mighty Super Bowl champions to cellar dwellers in the AFC West. Broncos general manager John Elway might be forced to take a gamble on either Robert Griffin III or Colin Kaepernick. Head coach Gary Kubiak runs a quarterback-friendly offensive scheme, but you still need some talent underneath center.

With just a single move, the fate of two NFL franchises have taken quite a turn. The Houston Texans have increased their chances of finally playing in the Super Bowl by acquiring a quality quarterback in Brock Osweiler. The Denver Broncos not only lose Peyton Manning to retirement, but they also lose the quarterback that they have been grooming for the past four years to take his place. Two teams in the same conference, heading in two very separate directions.

[Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]