Osweiler, other free agents on spot in ‘17
The allure of high ceilings and quick fixes when free agency begins tends to camouflage the “buyer beware” signs strewn across the league landscape.
Each March, market-setting contracts with gargantuan guarantees are given out by NFL teams in search of veteran upgrades for their roster before the rookies are added through the draft and subsequent signings. The eagerness to make a splash or the unwillingness to see a targeted player join another club can cause executives to chase the sugar rush of an instant starter at the potential detriment of future salary-cap management. The frustration of struggles at a particular position from the past season can trigger an overreach for replacements.
For the free-agent class of 2016, there’s still time to make
amends for an underwhelming first year of a rich new deal. So as the market opens for 2017, here’s a look back at some of the significant signees who didn’t pan out last season and are looking for a bounce back:
Brock Osweiler
The best quarterbacks never become free agents, of course, but Brock Osweiler brought enough intrigue and promise with his 6-foot-7 frame after playing behind Peyton Manning in Denver that Houston doled out $37 million guaranteed on a four-year contract for the Broncos’ backup about a month after they won the Super Bowl.
Seven solid starts at the end of the 2015 regular season while Manning was hurt was a small sample size, though, and more exposure for Osweiler yielded some rough moments. The Texans reached the playoffs with an AFC South title in a weak division and even made it to the second round, but Osweiler was in the bottom five in the league in completion percentage, interceptions and yards per attempt. Doug Martin
Spending big on a team’s own players is generally viewed as wiser strategy than on those outside the organization, given the familiarity with schemes and surroundings, but that’s hardly a guarantee of success, either.
Tampa Bay brought back running back Doug Martin with a five-year deal featuring $15 million guaranteed after he rushed for 1,402 yards and was an Associated Press All-Pro pick in 2015. Martin was slowed by hamstring problems and averaged just 2.9 yards per rush, the lowest in the NFL among ball carriers with at least 100 attempts. Then he received a fourgame suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.