The Cleveland Browns are holding an open quarterback competition heading into training camp, and Brock Osweiler may need to win it in order to keep his roster spot.
Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Network speculates that the Browns could release Osweiler if he can’t beat out Cody Kessler and rookie DeShone Kizer for the starting quarterback job.
“Brock Osweiler had a lot of positive quotes about him this offseason, but you did not really see many first-team snaps. To me, that is much more telling,” Rosenthal said Monday. “If DeShone Kizer looks good in training camp or if Cody Kessler looks good in training camp, I think it gets very awkward to keep a player that is making $16 million as your second- or third-stringer.”
Rosenthal noted that the Browns inquired about trading Osweiler after they got him in a trade form the Houston Texans and were willing to eat some of his salary.
“I think if he can’t win the starting job, they’ll look for a trade or possibly cut him,” Rosenthal said.
The initial reaction to the Browns trading for Osweiler was that they were simply buying a 2018 second-round pick from Houston, and that could still wind up being the case. No matter what the 26-year-old quarterback says about his former team, it doesn’t sound like he has been lighting it up in practice with his new squad.
