NFL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Brock Osweiler Trade, Andrew Luck and More

It has been a bit of a wild ride through an NFL preseason when Brock Osweiler and Andrew Luck share the headline act on the rumor mill.

Alas, this is end-of-August life in the NFL, where teams wrap up the critical "dress rehearsal" game and speed toward roster-trimming decisions. Those moves create a flood of new free agents, encourage a few trades and otherwise elbow with injury and contractual news for attention.

This offering throws a little bit of just about everything at readers. The Cleveland Browns have a tough decision to make when it comes to a potential trade, Luck's injury continues to make waves and notable free agents still sit on the open market.

Here's a look at the latest news as the rehearsals keep coming.

Will Beatty's Market

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While the free-agent market can't hold a torch to the excitement around when the gates initially opened, veterans like Will Beatty still have plenty to offer teams in need.

For Beatty, it doesn't necessarily require a team suffering an injury to give him a ring, either. Now 32, the Connecticut product spent seven years as a quality presence with the New York Giants and could still act as key depth.

Across town, the New York Jets know all about Beatty, and the hunt for depth is likely the reason NFL Network's Mike Garafolo provided a new development:

Beatty had only latched on with the Giants for one more season as a backup swing tackle on the chance Ereck Flowers struggled. He'd play more of a hybrid role for the Jets, backing up Kelvin Beachum on the left side but also being tasked with providing the locker room with a stable presence as it heads into one of the most significant rebuilds in the NFL.

With the dam that is Beatty's market apparently busted open, it wouldn't come as a shock to see other tackle-needy teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars pick up the phone. One injury will have representatives for the unfortunate team doing the same.

For Beatty, patience for at least another week to see what opens where might be the best course of action.

Andrew Luck Injury Update  

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It doesn't sound like the Indianapolis Colts will be very, well, lucky when it comes to Luck's injury.

Luck underwent surgery back in January on his throwing arm, which for a quarterback is about as bad as it sounds. The prognosis there seemed to suggest he would make it back in time for Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Said prognosis doesn't look so great in hindsight. ESPN.com's Mike Wells confirmed as much in an interview on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (via ESPN.com's Mike Clay):

It should go without saying, but the Colts are in for a world of hurt without Luck under center. Iffy all-around situation or not, Luck threw for 4,240 yards and 31 touchdowns against 13 interceptions over 15 games a year ago, completing a career-high 63.5 percent of his passes in the process. 

Luck missing the opener would leave the Colts with Scott Tolzien directing the ship. Through two preseason games this year, he hadn't thrown a touchdown pass. Last year, he attempted 37 passes, throwing one touchdown against two interceptions to bring his career total to two and seven, respectively. 

In a perfect world, the Colts will get Luck back for Week 1 because a trip across the country to Los Angeles isn't easy. Neither is having two of the team's first four games feature the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

The Colts have a tough tightrope to walk here, though they can't do it any faster than Luck's recovery permits.

Brock Osweiler on the Block 

Phelan Ebenhack/Associated Press

The Browns are going to have a hard time moving Osweiler.

Osweiler came to Cleveland with a $16 million price tag right out of the gates. It was an innovative, NBA-inspired trade, but nobody gave him much of a shot to win the starting job. The damage had been done after the Houston Texans inked him to a massive deal and turned right around and threw in the towel.

And make no mistake: NFL teams have shown they can refrain from using a player simply because of his reputation and the publicity he would bring. But there is another element here—it's obvious the Browns want to move him and will cut ties if they can't find a partner.

This seemed obvious enough once the following report from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero was released:

A source echoed these same sentiments to ESPN.com's Pat McManamon after the Browns named rookie DeShone Kizer as the starter for the team's third preseason game. Osweiler didn't even play, which would suggest the team wants to make sure he stays healthy so they have options with him via trade or otherwise.

Osweiler's prospective cutting doesn't necessarily mean he wouldn't be able to find a job again soon. But it doesn't seem like there is a quarterback situation outside of Cleveland desperate enough to ship the Browns a pick when he's likely to hit the open market. Though he's a career 59.9 percent passer with 26 touchdowns against 22 interceptions, being 26 years old will help him latch on somewhere.

Then again, Cleveland has made smart move after smart move this offseason, so the front office might be able to unearth some sort of competition. It is certainly a situation to watch over the next week.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.