John Elway wasn’t holding back the praise on Thursday discussing Brock Osweiler during his media session at the NFL scouting combine.
After revealing that he’d spoken with Peyton Manning but that the legendary quarterback still needed more time to make a decision about his NFL future, Elway discussed Osweiler in glowing terms.
Elway "We're excited about what we saw from Brock. He made some good strides….and he proved a lot to us." #Broncos
— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) February 25, 2016
Elway on Osweiler: "We wouldn't have been world champs without Brock, either. We needed both quarterbacks."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) February 25, 2016
Both points are salient when considering Osweiler’s future. Clearly, it would appear Elway and the Broncos would love to have the young signal-caller back in Denver next season.
This echoes comments made by head coach Gary Kubiak yesterday, who said “We want him to be part of our football team,” per the team’s official website.
However, at this time they are waiting to enter into contract negotiations with Osweiler “out of respect” and won’t reportedly do so unti Manning makes his decision.
Osweiler did perform well for the world champs this year when pressed into action after Manning’s injuries (and his copious amount of turnovers) forced him out of the lineup. Completing 61.8 percent of his passes, he threw for 1,967 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions playing in eight games and starting seven.
Given the absurd lack of talent at the quarterback position these days, the Broncos cannot afford to let a potential franchise passer slip through their fingertips. Team brass is doing a great job right now presenting a unified front of support for Osweiler while at the same time showing Manning all the respect he deserves.
It will be interesting to see how things play out. If Manning is still on Denver’s roster in March when the new league year opens up, then his $19 million salary becomes fully guaranteed and any hope of keeping Osweiler likely goes out the window.