CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 21: Brock Osweiler #17 of the Cleveland Browns passes in the first half of a preseason game against the New York Giants at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 21, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Believe it or not, it was only a year ago that Brock Osweiler was an up-and-coming hot-shot. He had just gone 5-2 as a starter for the Super Bowl-winning Denver Broncos, while completing 61.8 percent of his passes. The Houston Texans had rewarded him with a $72 million contract.

Now, he’s not even good enough to start for the Browns.

Cleveland coach Hue Jackson announced Wednesday that rookie DeShone Kizer will start his team’s next preseason game, and ESPN reports that the Browns are now attempting to trade Osweiler.

Things have gone poorly for the 6-foot-7 quarterback pretty much since the ink dried on that massive deal with Houston. Last year, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns and saw his completion percentage, yards per attempt and quarterback rating drop. At times, his performance was downright embarrassing.

In March, the Texans gave up on their big-money quarterback, basically paying the Browns to take him off their hands. Jackson and the Browns expressed pleasure with Osweiler initially and named him starter for their first preseason game, only to decide, apparently, that he’s a lost cause.

It probably makes most sense for the Browns to go with Kizer’s youthful potential instead of Osweiler’s experienced mediocrity. After two decades of poor play at quarterback, the Browns don’t need another retread, they need a star, and Kizer—a second-round pick in 2017—at least has a chance to get there.

As for Osweiler, it looks like he’ll go back to being a back-up, for the Browns or some other team. That’s probably for the best. The back-up role suits him.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.