Brock Osweiler's unusual odyssey through the world of pro football has taken its strangest turn yet.
The Denver Broncos announced on Monday that it has signed the free-agent quarterback to a one-year deal. The move reunites the Broncos with the signal-caller they drafted back in 2012, but failed to re-sign in 2016.
"When Brock made that decision [to sign with Houston], he made the best decision that he thought was best for him," Elway told reporters Saturday night. "It's just kind of funny how these things worked out with our situation and Brock being available -- funny how everything aligned. We know that Brock can win football games with us, he's got a lot of experience and that was one glaring hole we had at that time in my mind when Paxton [Lynch] hurt the shoulder. We're able to get it fixed."
Osweiler was cut by the Browns on Friday after spending last season as a troubled starting passer for the Texans. With Cleveland already locked in to pay Osweiler's $16 million salary, the Broncos will absorb a minor chunk of that king's ransom by signing the 26-year-old passer to the league minimum, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport was told.
Denver was on the hunt for a veteran quarterback after losing Lynch for a few weeks to a shoulder sprain. He is expected to miss roughly five weeks, Rapoport reported, per a source
Osweiler will step in right away behind starter Trevor Siemian, mirroring the role he played under Peyton Manning for four seasons in Denver. When Lynch returns from injury, however, the Broncos will evaluate their need for Osweiler at the position.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Elway said. "You never know. We're going to carry him right now. We'll carry him for now. As you know, it's always fluid, so we'll cross that bridge when Paxton gets healthy. We'll see what we have and go from there."
Osweiler was a messy, mistake-prone starter last year for the Texans, who inked him to a massive four-year, $72 million contract with $37 million guaranteed in March 2016. One year later, in an unusual NFL deal, Houston shipped its 2018 second-round pick to the Browns in exchange for Cleveland agreeing to absorb Osweiler and his unwieldy $16 million payday.
The Broncos milked a handful of semi-solid starts out of Osweiler in 2015 -- their Super Bowl-winning campaign -- but his game has looked beyond repair ever since. Denver's front office is showing loyalty to their former draft pick, but Osweiler won't see the field barring a major disaster under center.
