2016 NFL Breakout Candidate: Brock Osweiler ready to be a star for Houston Texans

NFL.com typically does its “Making the Leap” list of players whom they believe to be breakout candidates in mid-summer. In an attempt to beat them to the punch, I’ll be putting together, in no particular order, my list of 16 players who are primed for breakout seasons. The first candidate is Brock Osweiler, whose mistreatment at the hands of the Broncos helped him move to the Lone Star State.

Saying Brock Osweiler had an interesting 2015 season would be like saying Michael Jordan was a good basketball player.

Osweiler replaced an injured Peyton Manning in week 11, after Manning was benched the week prior against the Chiefs.

In his first NFL start, Osweiler completed 74.1 percent of his passes and threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns. The following week, Osweiler remained cool against the arch-rival New England Patriots, helping the Broncos win in overtime.

Behind an incredibly shaky offensive line, Osweiler’s play was up-and-down, but never terrible. In his seven games as a starter, Osweiler had a quarterback rating of  88.7, and threw for 1,821 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions. Despite his relatively positive play, Osweiler was benched in week 17 for the aging Manning, and the former wouldn’t see another snap for the rest of the season.

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As Denver celebrated its Super Bowl 50 victory, the general idea was that Manning would ride off into the sunset, and Osweiler would remain in Denver.

And then in a dramatic twist that would make the reveling of Darth Vader’s identity seem predictable, Osweiler burned his head coach Gary Kubiak by signing with the team where Kubiak made his name, the Houston Texans.

“Think about it; Osweiler gives the Texans the best chance they’ve ever had at having a franchise quarterback.”

Now, entering his fifth year in the league and on a team gushing with talent, Osweiler is ready to take the next step and have a breakout year. The Texans paid a pretty penny to land Osweiler, signing the guy who started seven games to an incredibly lucrative $72 million deal. This year, the pressure will certainly be shining bright on Osweiler. It’s not his first time under the spotlight, though.

Osweiler, who was drafted in the second round of the 2012 draft, entered the league as a backup, rode the bench for the first three years of his career, as Manning soaked up the glory a Mile High.

From a physical standpoint, Osweiler fits the bill, and then some. At 6’8″, Osweiler is one of the tallest quarterbacks in NFL history. His height gives him a huge advantage, as standing tall in the pocket is simply second nature for him.

Despite being young and inexperienced, I think the way he handled himself last year against Chicago and New England speaks volumes about the kind of player he is.

He can take shots from defenders and get back up strong, confident and capable. He may not be a mobile quarterback by trade, but he displayed adequate footwork last year, and he knows how to step up in the pocket.

From a leadership standpoint, it seems Big O has learned a thing or two from The Sheriff.

“I see the same type of leadership qualities that I see in Peyton,” Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller said, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post. “He knows how to work the room. He can relate to everybody in the locker room — not just the offensive guys, not just the defensive guys. He can relate to everybody in the room. Brock is one of those guys, and he goes out there and he leads in that type of way.”

Hearing Miller say Osweiler is similar to Manning in terms of leadership isn’t exactly ground-breaking or earth-shattering. Osweiler had a chance to marinate on the sideline for three-and-a-half years, so one would assume he would take a lot away from Manning’s game.

The good news for “Big O” is the fact that he has a plethora of talent to work with. In addition to Osweiler, the Texans brought in Lamar Miller to replace Arian Foster as the team’s lead running back. Let’s also not forget Osweiler has arguably the top receiver in the AFC, DeAndre Hopkins, at his disposal.

It’s not even the preseason yet, but it’s easy to picture Osweiler launching it deep to Nuk Hopkins.

This is going to be Osweiler’s offense to operate, as Bill O’Brien is giving the Robert Pattinson look-alike the keys to the Ferrari. If we’re being frank, Osweiler may have been held back in Denver’s conservative, short-pass offense. In Houston, he’ll have full reigns.

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It’s going to be exciting in Houston, especially considering Osweiler has the ability to transcend the offensive playbook in a way Hoyer and Mallet could only dream of doing.

He’s going to have a chance to help the Texans win a suddenly strong AFC South for the second straight year. Osweiler also rounds out a division filled with young, talented quarterbacks, as Andrew Luck, Blake Bortles and Marcus Mariota represent the other teams in the division.

One would have to assume the offense will thrive, provided Osweiler proves he was worth the big contact. After all, Miller figures to be used far more often in Houston, and Hopkins found a ton of success last year with Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer throwing him the ball.

A pivotal, perhaps career-defining, game for Osweiler comes in a Monday night game against his former Broncos. His former teammates are ready to show Osweiler he made the wrong decision, and the first-year starter will need to keep his wits.

The way Osweiler handles himself against Denver will go a long way in determining just how good Osweiler can be. Think about it; Osweiler gives the Texans the best chance they’ve ever had at having a franchise quarterback.

Things have to go right for Osweiler, otherwise he’ll be labeled a big free-agency bust by the media. Texans fans are certainly hoping Osweiler can live up to the hype. But the combination of size, arm strength and poise certainly leads one to believe he’ll have no problem doing just that.

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Expect Osweiler to help the Texans get back to the playoffs, all while establishing himself as a legitimate starter in this league. It may not be the same magnitude of Aaron Rodgers’ maturation after sitting behind Brett Favre, but it may not be too far off.