Brock Osweiler in 2015 took over the starting quarterback position for the Denver Broncos, relieving the injured Peyton Manning in a Week 10 loss to the Chiefs. In Osweiler’s seven starts that followed, the Broncos continued to push their way toward the Super Bowl, and the young quarterback’s play gave many the impression that the Broncos had found their long-term starter after the Manning era would inevitably come to an end. That notion was shattered once negotiations began between Osweiler and the Broncos after the team’s Super Bowl 50 victory — every one of those postseason games won with Manning back at the helm after the future Hall of Famer replaced a struggling Osweiler in the second half of a Week 17 matchup with the Chargers that would clinch a No. 1 seed throughout the playoffs.
Osweiler is now back with the Broncos, once again taking over the starting quarterback position and once again looking like the best option in a season quickly going sideways.
After that 2015 season, coming off of a victory in Super Bowl 50, Manning announced that he was hanging up his cleats and riding off into the sunset. Fans were comforted to know that the team still had Osweiler, primed and ready to take over the role. But what few saw coming was the wild disparity between Osweiler believed he was worth, and what the Broncos did, after contract negotiations began. The Broncos eventually chose to let Osweiler test free agency, where the Houston Texans took a chance and gave him the money he was looking for.
Osweiler didn’t pan out as a starting quarterback for the Texans. With the Texans he threw 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Ultimately, the Texans decided he wasn’t the quarterback of their future and traded him to the Browns after the 2016 season.
The Browns released him before the 2017 season started. John Elway signed Osweiler the next day, stating that it made the most sense to have a veteran quarterback as the backup on the roster.
After the struggles of Trevor Siemian and the injured Paxton Lynch just aren’t the option anymore, Osweiler finds himself in a familiar situation. The same situation that he made the most of just two-years ago with the Broncos. He seems to be the Broncos last and only hope to help spark this offense. And with his history as a backup with Denver, fans should be hopeful.
The first relationship between Osweiler and the Broncos seemed to end on a sour note but when there is hope, good things can happen.
“I’m sure a lot of people are surprised by this,” Osweiler said when he met the media on Wednesday as the starting quarterback, again, for the Broncos. “Very rarely I think does a player leave to go to a different team and he’s back on his previous team within a year’s time, let alone a quarterback. But, once again, that’s not the story. I’m here, I’m ready to play football and I know this football team’s ready to go out there and play. Play a good, clean game, and that’s where our focus is right now.”
Last season should have been a humbling experience for Osweiler. He went into Houston with intentions from both himself and the Texans on becoming one of the top quarterbacks in the league. He left with his tail in between his legs and was later cut by one of the worst NFL organizations. This slice of humble pie could bring back the fire.
Since the end of 2015, the Broncos have not had a concrete option as the quarterback. Make no mistake, Osweiler, right now, has not proved he is a concrete option to take over. But he has had success in Denver for the Broncos, and fans should be excited with this change going into this week’s game against a good Eagles team.
“The person you’ve seen in practice, in training camp and in games when I was playing in 2015, that’s not going to change. I’m going to go out there with confidence. I’m going to lead with confidence. I’m going to play with confidence. I’m going to demand a lot out of my teammates and I want them to demand a lot out of me. I want everyone to hold each other to the highest standards possible, the Broncos standard,” Osweiler said.
Denver’s offense goes into this game with a sense of optimism, looking for a fresh start. If Osweiler can set aside what happened last season and capitalize on the offense he has in front of him, the Broncos can start winning crucial games down the line.
The defense is there and has performed as expected to this point in the season. If the offense can start clicking and scoring enough for the defense to defend, the Broncos will start winning games.
Could Oweiler be the answer?
His chance to prove he is begins Sunday in Philadelphia. The fact that he’s not out to prove it, personally, suggests he could be.
“This week’s not about me,” Osweiler said Wednesday. “I’ve answered those questions when I left and when I came back. This week is solely about our football team finding a way to get a win on the road in a hostile environment against a great opponent. We know we have a huge challenge ahead of us, but we’re excited to go out there, compete and see what we can do.”
