Brock Osweiler

No one could have predicted that Osweiler would be out of Houston within a year of signing a four-year, $72 million contract, but that was the case as the Peyton Manning heir was traded to the Browns in March. He was eventually cut, landing back in Denver, where he's now slated to back up Trevor Siemian, with Paxton Lynch (shoulder) set for a multi-week absence to start the season.

After apprenticing under Peyton Manning for three seasons, Osweiler got his chance to start Week 11 last season and made the most of it, leading the Broncos to three straight victories. While his passing totals weren't extraordinary, Osweiler got a lot of credit for keeping the team afloat before Manning reclaimed his job and took the reins for a Super Bowl run. Rather than stick around in Denver as the successor to a Hall of Famer, Osweiler bolted for Houston, signing a four-year deal worth $18 million a season. Despite the big contract, though, there are still a lot of questions about his game. Osweiler is athletic but not a natural scrambler, preferring to stay in the pocket, and while he has a strong arm his accuracy and decision making can be an issue, as his 29.2 completion percentage on passes longer than 15 yards (second lowest in the NFL) attests. The Broncos relied on their defense to win games with Osweiler, not their passing game, and while the Texans' J.J. Watt-led defense is no slouch, he'll need to put more points on the board to keep winning. The Houston front office has given him plenty of weapons, adding Will Fuller and Braxton Miller through the draft and Lamar Miller in free agency to join DeAndre Hopkins, so the pressure will be on Osweiler right away to put their talents to good use.

Osweiler continues to be considered the quarterback of the future in Denver, but with Peyton Manning returning for another season, Osweiler will be on clipboard duty once again.

Osweiler, who has been called the quarterback of the future in Denver, will once again be Peyton Manning's backup. He's got great size at 6-8, 240 pounds, but unless Manning suffers an injury, Osweiler's snaps will be very limited this season.

Osweiler is expected to serve as Peyton Manning's backup in 2013.

Osweiler appears to be the quarterback of the future in Denver, although that future is definitely in the long-term. He will be the No. 3 quarterback this season behind Peyton Manning and Caleb Hanie, and there aren't many better quarterbacks to learn the game from than the future Hall of Famer.