Brock Osweiler seems as relieved to be out of Houston as the Texans were to move on from him. Osweiler went 8-6 before being benched last season, throwing 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
Osweiler did return for the playoffs after his replacement, Tom Savage, was diagnosed with a concussion. But after beating the Derek Carr-less Raiders in the wild-card round, Osweiler’s three interceptions doomed the Texans against the Patriots in the divisional round and sealed his fate in Houston.
Osweiler reportedly clashed with Texans coach Bill O’Brien last year, something he wouldn’t address in a sit-down interview with Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. But he admits it was a trying year.
“I got a good dosage of [adversity] last season, no doubt -- no doubt. It makes you stronger,” Osweiler told Cabot.
Osweiler lost his job but not his confidence, he said, despite it being his first full year as an NFL starter.
“Oh, absolutely not. Not shattered,” he said. “If anything, I had a lot of great learning experiences last year that are going to make me a better quarterback this year.”
The Texans were so eager to unload Osweiler’s $16 million salary they gave the Browns a 2018 second-round pick. The Browns never intended to keep Osweiler, but he leads the quarterback competition with DeShone Kizer and Cody Kessler.
“Sometimes you have to go through certain things in this profession, one to appreciate things but, two, to learn, grow, develop and become and even better player, a stronger player, and maybe at the end of this year when the 2017 season wraps up, maybe we’ll look back and say ‘2016 was a turning year for him,’” Osweiler said. “You never know, though. Only time with tell.”