The Houston Texans have released quarterback Brandon Weeden, who hasn’t appeared in a game since the 2015 season, according to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. Weeden was already third on the QB depth chart, and ultimately the odd man out. Houston will roll with Tom Savage and rookie Deshaun Watson as its two quarterbacks for 2017.
Brandon Weeden running out of NFL chances after release from Texans
Weeden is 33 years old and nearing the end of the line.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Now 33 years old, Weeden will be looking for his fourth team in five years.
Weeden was one of many Browns draft foibles
The Cleveland Browns used a 2014 first-round pick on Weeden, who had a strong college career at Oklahoma State but faced plenty of question marks. A former baseball prospect, Weeden was already 28 years old when the Browns drafted him, leaving them with a short window even if he did pan out as an NFL quarterback.
Well, Weeden didn’t pan out at all. In 15 games as a rookie, he completed just 57.4 percent of his passes for 14 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. The following year, he threw nine interceptions in eight games before the Browns gave up entirely, waiving him after only two years.
Since his disastrous start in Cleveland, Weeden has bounced around the league as a journeyman. He made one start for the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, filling in for an injured Tony Romo. In 2015, the Cowboys tried him again as a starter when Romo broke his collarbone, but Weeden got benched for Matt Cassel and later waived. The Texans picked him up as a desperate option and he started two games near the end of the regular season. Weeden spent the entire 2016 season on the bench behind Brock Osweiler and Savage.
Is the end here already?
With 25 starts over four years, we have a decent sample size for Weeden, and he’s just not good enough. 31 touchdowns to 30 interceptions, a 57.9 completion percentage, and 6.7 yards per attempt are barely acceptable numbers for a career backup, let alone a future starter.
Perhaps Weeden will latch on with another team this year, but time has never been on his side, and he’ll be even more hard-pressed to get another legitimate chance in his mid-30s. He’ll likely go down as one of the oddest first-round draft picks of the decade.
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