Entering his fifth season Brock Osweiler has only appeared in 13 regular season games. He has one touchdown completion and has only completed 17 passes for 159 yards. It appear that that will change and possibly soon.
“I’m getting more reps than I ever have as a Bronco,” Osweiler said Monday in reference to his brief time under Gary Kubiak. “I’m getting twice what I usually get but it’s very valuable to a young player, especially in a new offense. You can only study so much in the class room. You need to get out to the grass and you need to go out and run those plays. The more reps you get the better you are going to be.”
Kubiak vowed early to rest veteran players and 39-year-old Peyton Manning in particular. Monday’s practice was one of those days. Manning is a notoriously hard worker and an adamant believer in getting as much work as he can. Due to that fact in, the past Osweiler has seen very little playing time on the practice field or in the games. This year will be different. Not only was Manning run down by the end of 2014 but the Broncos must prepare Osweiler for his future at opportune times.
“He (Manning) is not a big fan of it but I just think it’s important. I talked to him about it,” Kubiak said Monday. “You try to convince him, ‘hey we want you there for the long haul and as healthy as you can be, as strong as you can be.’”
Osweiler appears to be the quarterback in waiting and after being drafted by John Elway 57th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft he remains the future under center for Denver. The refusal to allow Osweiler to play in recent seasons could be blamed on a multitude of suspects but time is running out on Osweiler’s contract as well. He is in his final year of a four-year $3.5 million contract according to spotrac.com. Kubiak appears to have agreed with his long time teammate and now boss, on No. 17’s talent and upside.
“We are very committed to Brock as a player. I have a lot of confidence in him,” Kubiak said just minutes after his post-draft press conference last month.
While Manning remains the Broncos best chance at a Super Bowl run in 2015, next season is far more questionable. After the 2014-15 season, the notion of Manning retiring or continuing to play wearing a different jersey other than the Broncos was a real possibility. In 2016 his price tag will remain a huge area of concern for all of the parties involved no matter what the end result of the season is.
Osweiler must be given the proper playing time in practice as well as in regular season games this season in order for the Broncos to realistically place faith in his abilities for the future of the franchise. That was a theme that came through loud and clear from Kubiak’s statements after practice Monday, not just for the quarterback position but everywhere.
“I’m trying to figure out about the youth of this football team, the depth of this team and how it going to help us,” Kubiak stated plainly. “Right now we need to see how much they can handle. When they are overloaded mentally how do they practice?”
Osweiler could not contain his excitement at getting on the field and the benefit of any time getting throws in even if it is just organized team activities in early June.
“I love all the extra reps and I’ll take as many as they want to give me,” he said. “I think it is huge for the development in a new offense.”
Kubiak and Elway’s closeness through the years has brought them to their current situation and it appears that Kubiak will be given several years as the head coach. Clearly no other position is more important to a team’s success than quarterback. Therefore, Kubiak and Osweiler have and should continue to bond early in order for the success of their careers down the road. Kubiak commented on the second-team quarterback’s progress Monday.
“The thing I like about him is if he makes a mistake and you correct something the next day he fixes it. He works hard at his craft and this is a really good time for him, good reps.”
Osweiler simply has not been given enough time on the field in his first four seasons. In order to declare him a bust or a success he must be given opportunities. Kubiak hinted Monday at his strategy for getting Osweiler the playing time he needs while trying to maintaining Manning’s health throughout the long season.
“I think the NFL season is a long grind and how you go about keeping guys healthy is a tough deal, a tough assignment and also how you go about getting young guys involved with your team. The only way I know how to do that is giving them practice time.”
Manning’s age, the Broncos future plans and the development of a new system in 2015 is the perfect time for Osweiler to gain valuable experience while giving No. 18 his farewell season. Osweiler’s growth as a professional may already have been stunted but another season of bench warming and playbook studying will hinder a lot more things than just the career of No. 17.
Footnotes: The Broncos first-round pick Shane Ray participated in individual drills Monday for the first time. He is still recovering from a turf toe injury but will continue to participate with the team moving forward.
Manning joined several veteran players and did not practice Monday but was on the sidelines constantly asking questions and even mimicking the plays on the field in order to practice his footwork.
Kubiak specifically mentioned that he has been impressed with potential starting tackle, Michael Schofield’s progress as of late.
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