default-cbs-image

Brock Osweiler is the man the Texans have identified to save the franchise. That's the implication, anyway. After passing on Blake Bortles two years ago, and stumbling their way through last season with the likes of Brian Hoyer and Brandon Weeden, the organization finally came to the same conclusion as the rest of us: Offensive consistency is impossible without a franchise quarterback.

To that point, the Texans gave Osweiler a four-year, $72 million deal earlier this month, and in the process, left a gaping hole at the position in Denver, where Osweiler was pegged to succeed Peyton Manning. But a confluence of events changed those plans, including an opportunity for Osweiler to blaze his own path in a Peyton-free setting.

"I guess the thing that really helped us is that he does like our offense, and coach [Bill] O'Brien gives the quarterback a little more leeway at the line of scrimmage and all quarterbacks like that," Texans owner Bob McNair said at the NFL owners meetings in Boca Raton, via ESPN.com. "I think that helped. And then of course he had played behind Peyton [Manning] and with [executive vice president of football operations/general manager] John Elway there [in Denver]. Their shadows were quite large. He was still going to be under that and compared to them. He has a chance to be a real hero in Houston. And we’ve got a good ball club so I think all those things entered into it."

McNair echoes a report that circulated in the days after Osweiler spurned the Broncos for the Texans: Playing in Manning's shadow, and the opportunity for a fresh start elsewhere, "were factors" in his decision to leave Denver.

But here's the thing: You could argue that Osweiler's now under more pressure than he would have been had he stayed. In seven starts last season he was ... serviceable. Not great, but he didn't need to be because Denver's defense was dominant. In Houston, fans' expectations could border on the unrealistic because of a) Osweiler's hefty contract and b) the months of hype leading up to the 2016 season.

McNair is unconcerned.

There's no fear that Brock Osweiler will floop in Houston. (USATSI)
There's no fear that Brock Osweiler will floop in Houston. (USATSI)

"Number 1, I don't expect that to happen," the owner said of Osweiler falling on his face. "If we didn't think he had the ability and the attitude to be a winner for us we wouldn't have signed him to that kind of contract. I have every confidence he will succeed. How good will he be remains to be seen. Will he be average or will he be a superstar? But I think he'll be more than adequate in any case. That's what we were looking for in the past. If the quarterback doesn't turn the ball over with our defense and our running game, we've got a chance to beat anybody. But when the quarterback turns the ball over, anybody can beat you if they don't turn it over."

McNair's final thoughts reiterate just how bad things were at the end of last season -- and just how desperate the Texans were to land a quarterback:

We won't know for months -- and maybe years -- if Osweiler was the right call, but the Texans had no choice but to move on from Hoyer.