Some Reddit user predicted Brock Osweiler trade to Browns
By John Buhler
You never know what you’ll find on Reddit. Some user accurately predicted that Brock Osweiler would be traded to the Cleveland Browns three weeks ago.
Conspiracy and fans theories run amok on Reddit. It’s a cool place for people to come together on the internet and spin some crazy ideas off each other, like saying the Houston Texans are going to trade Brock Osweiler to the Cleveland Browns.
Three weeks ago on Feb. 19, Reddit user Crossfire912 put together a thread about that very possibility. When the deal between the Browns and the Texans did go down on Thursday afternoon, it was only a matter of time before this thread was discovered.
"Could the Browns Trade for Brock Osweiler? from nfl"
Crossfire912 hammered out the key points of how this trade could be mutually beneficial. Houston needed to get off Osweiler’s albatross of a contract he signed a year ago today to hopefully be able to sign former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in free agency.
Cleveland had plenty of cap space to absorb the blow of Osweiler’s contract, but could honestly use him as a quarterback to compete for the starting job in 2017. If that didn’t work out, Cleveland could cut him in 2018 for no financial loss.
Getting a pick from Houston to absorb Osweiler’s contract would be key in the deal. Since Cleveland is taking the whole Moneyball approach in their rebuild, it made the most sense for Crossfire912 to see Cleveland as the likely landing spot for Osweiler.
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There were two other teams that could have taken on Osweiler’s deal and been okay up against the salary cap: the San Francisco 49ers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville may not be down with Blake Bortles, but the 49ers aren’t exactly steady at quarterback. They are going with Brian Hoyer in 2017. San Francisco could have used a pick in their massive rebuild. Jacksonville doesn’t draft well consistently.