The Houston Texans signed quarterback Brock Osweiler away from the Denver Broncos, but what a lot of people may not realize is Houston’s 2015 quarterback, Brian Hoyer, was actually much better on paper than Osweiler last season.
And it looks as though Hoyer might soon be available for a lot less than the $18 million salary Osweiler is getting in Houston.
Note from @NFLTotalAccess: #Texans and QB Brian Hoyer appear headed for a divorce and both sides sound OK with a fresh start. He's available
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 29, 2016
Hoyer had 19 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions in 11 games last season, posting a passer rating (91.4) that was exactly five points higher than Osweiler’s while helping Houston win the AFC South. He’s not an “elite” quarterback, by any means, but neither was Osweiler.
Could the 30-year-old be the answer at quarterback for a Broncos team that also lost Peyton Manning to retirement? It’s entirely possible. Denver, of course, proved in 2015 that it didn’t need a star quarterback to win. John Elway has already added Mark Sanchez, who also has a chance to step in and at least do more good than harm. But the reality is that the Broncos would be best served increasing their odds of gaining some stability at the most important position on the field, and the best way to do that is to bring in multiple mid-level options and breed competition.
Maybe they’d prefer to pay more and make the move for Colin Kaepernick, or maybe they’d rather pursue Mike Glennon or Josh McCown. Regardless, somebody needs to be there to compete this offseason with Sanchez.
The Broncos would also be smart to use a fairly early draft pick on a quarterback, simply because there’s an extremely good chance Sanchez, Kaepernick, Hoyer, Glennon and McCown won’t be long-term options.
What the Broncos need is a battle between Dak Prescott or Cardale Jones or Connor Cook and Brian Hoyer or Mike Glennon or Josh McCown and Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian.
One of them is bound to pan out, right?
