Texans shockingly trade Brock Osweiler to Browns

The Houston Texans have traded Brock Osweiler, a 2018 second-round pick, and a sixth-round pick this year to the Browns, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Houston receives a fourth-found pick this year, saves $10 million in cap space, and $16 million in cash in the deal.

The Texans made the trade official just after 4 p.m. on Thursday. Texans GM Rick Smith said, “The decision to trade Brock was made because it was in the best interest of the team. It frees up both cash and salary cap room to continue to improve our football team. We appreciate Brock’s effort and leadership while he was with us and we wish him and his family well.”

Osweiler had a tough season in his first year with the Texans. He was 8-6 in 14 regular season starts, where he completed 59 percent of his passes, accumulating 2,957 yards. He threw just 15 touchdowns against 16 interceptions.

As far as the Browns go, they struggled at the quarterback position all throughout the season. They had six different players take snaps at quarterback during the 2016 season. Injuries to Robert Griffin, Cody Kessler, and others made for no consistency under center all season.

Yet, Ian Rapoport reported that the Browns are deciding whether or not to just release him, with Adam Schefter reporting that teams are inquiring about a trade.

In October, Osweiler had one of the worst Monday Night Football performances ever seen in the NFL. For quarterbacks who have attempted at least 40 passes, he threw for 131 yards, which was the second worse only next to Jesse Palmer’s 110.

He was making plays that people really didn’t know were possible in the first place, like throwing a fumble 7 yards down the field.

Things eventually got so bad with Osweiler, that Bill O’Brien finally had to bench him against the Jacksonville Jaguars in mid-December for Tom Savage. When Houston fans realized that he had been benched, the cheers were quite loud in NRG Stadium.

After the Texans’ loss to the Patriots, O’Brien wasn’t quite ready to address the quarterback situation. “We’re so far from answering that question,” O’Brien said. “Right now, we sit down and evaluate our team and everything we do ... it’s not even a question that I can begin to answer.”

On Thursday, the Texans revealed they eventually found their answer, and acted upon it.

The Texans have been rumored to be in the Tony Romo sweepstakes this offseason. Moving Brock Osweiler shows that the team is serious about making a run at the soon-to-be former Cowboys quarterback. It will also save the team $10 million in cap space moving forward.