Brock Osweiler released by Browns

The inevitable has finally happened in Cleveland, only it took a few more months than expected.

The Browns released Brock Osweiler on Friday, The Athletic’s Zac Jackson first reported.

Cleveland acquired Osweiler in a surprising trade with the Houston Texans back in March. When the Browns acquired the quarterback, the thought was they were taking on his hefty $18 million salary just to get the 2018 second-round pick from Houston. However, the Browns gave Osweiler every chance to win the starting quarterback job.

Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer outplayed Osweiler during the preseason and jumped to the top of the depth chart. Once he claimed the starting job, there was no reason to keep Osweiler. They tried trading him but have released the QB now that there were no takers.

The 26-year-old QB will likely find a home as a backup on some team. He will be free to sign with teams on Saturday.