It would appear the Houston Texans are realizing they might have made a huge mistake in signing Brock Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million contract. Head coach Bill O’Brien benched Osweiler on Sunday, and replaced him with Tom Savage. On Monday, O’Brien announced that Savage will get the start for the team’s Week 16 home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Osweiler was 6/11 for 48 yards on Sunday, but he also threw two interceptions. Savage took over in the middle of the second quarter following Osweiler’s second interception, and finished the game 23/36 for 260 yards. The Texans trailed 13-0 at the time, but eventually came back to win 21-20.
Osweiler received a $12 million signing bonus, and his $16 million salary in 2017 is fully guaranteed. The Texans can cut him with ease after that, but right now, they would appear to be stuck with him through next season. If they cut him this offseason and designated him a June 1 cut, they would carry $19 million in dead money and zero cap savings for 2017.
The Texans spent a fourth round pick on Savage in the 2014 NFL Draft. In the three seasons since he was drafted, he has appeared in three games, attempting passes in two. In his rookie season, he came in to kneel down against the Titans in Week 13, and then completed 10 of 19 passes for 127 yards and an interception in Week 15. His next appearance was yesterday. He is signed through 2017, which means Houston is getting a chance to see if he at least offers some semblance of something.
The Texans join a growing group of teams that might be investing in the quarterback position during the 2017 NFL Draft. The 49ers and Jets are high on the list. The Bears might decide to move on from Jay Cutler. The Cardinals might decide to get rid of Carson Palmer. We don’t know what Blake Bortles’ future is like in Jacksonville once a new coach comes in. And even Denver has enough questions with Trevor Siemian and not giving Paxton Lynch many opportunities thus far.
One of these teams will likely land Tony Romo, with Arizona and Denver the most likely landing spots. After that, there are a lot of questions heading into a draft that features more questions than answers.