Denver Broncos to Watch in Training Camp: QB Brock Osweiler

Earlier this month, the Denver Broncos unveiled their schedule for training camp. Things kick off at Dove Valley on July 31, and the fans will get to watch the Broncos at their new facility. Last year, training camp was closed to the public as team headquarters underwent a massive construction project.

The Broncos have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. It will be a difficult process to find the best 53-man roster possible, and it will take most of the month of August to do so.

There will be positional battles at multiple spots as the Broncos establish their depth chart for the 2015 season. This pecking order will largely be determined by a player's performance in training camp.

In this edition of "Broncos To Watch in Training Camp," we take a look at potential quarterback of the future Brock Osweiler.

Pro Career

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We haven't seen much from Osweiler in the regular season during his pro career. A second-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft, Osweiler has been working diligently as the backup quarterback behind Peyton Manning for three seasons.

During that time, Osweiler has only seen the field for a small handful of snaps. In three years, Osweiler has gone 17-of-30 passing for 159 yards and one touchdown. Even though he can scramble, Osweiler has rushed 19 times for minus-11 yards during his time with the Broncos.

Most of what we've seen from Osweiler has come during training camp and the preseason.

Positives

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The first thing that stands out about Osweiler is his size. He's a huge quarterback, measuring in at 6'7"—a size that allows him to see over the defensive line with ease. As a larger quarterback, Osweiler is not easy to bring down when the rush gets to him. Like Joe Flacco, Osweiler can shake off smaller defenders while keeping his eyes downfield looking to strike.

Also like Flacco, Osweiler has a rocket arm. Needless to say, he can make every throw required in the NFL. Osweiler can stretch the field, and he's improved his touch when throwing deep downfield. He now has a good feel for dropping passes in the bucket and over the shoulder of receivers streaking down the sidelines.

Osweiler is also a great athlete for a player he size. He's not a stick in the mud standing back there in the pocket. Instead, Osweiler has the rushing ability to get out and move. He's able to hurt a defense with his legs, and Osweiler can also throw fairly accurately on the run.

When looking at his total skill set, it's easy to come to the conclusion that Osweiler may be the best-suited of all the quarterbacks on the roster to work in the Gary Kubiak system.

This new offense is going to feature a quarterback working mostly from under center, and there might be quite a bit of bootleg or play-action passing, too. While things may need to be adjusted for an immobile pocket passer like Manning, Osweiler would be able to run the offense true to the design.

Negatives

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Osweiler has done a good job of turning his negatives into positives over the last three years. When he first came into the pros, Osweiler had a throwing motion that needed work.

He can make off-platform throws when needed, but Osweiler had a bad habit of throwing with a three-quarters or sidearm release. This caused his passes to get batted down way too often for a 6'7" quarterback.

Now, Osweiler's throwing motion is high and over his head. Even J.J. Watt on a stepladder would find swatting his passes down difficult.

Kubiak commented on Osweiler's improvement in practice.

"I sat around this morning—guys were in meetings— and I actually studied him practicing last year and then I compared him to watching practice this year. It's huge that he continues to progress." Kubiak exclaimed, "It's very important that he shows he can run the football team on the days that Peyton's not out there."

When he came out of Arizona State, Osweiler had poor footwork as a passer. He could make throws on the run, but he was often out of step, and he lost velocity because of that. In a clean pocket, Osweiler would often throw flat-footed, and that also hurt his accuracy.

Osweiler knows the importance of footwork as a quarterback, especially in this offense.

"It entails everything. Everything about this offense—your feet tie into your progression. You guys have probably seen a coach on us pretty good about that. It's telling you on one hitch the ball should be going here. If you're taking one, you should be moving to here. If you're taking two, you should be moving to here."

Osweiler excitedly continued, "Once again, it's one of those newer things. I think it's going to be a really great thing in the long run."

With a cleaned-up overall game, the only real negative on Osweiler isn't his fault—he's got little game experience in the pros.

Osweiler also needs to prove that he can throw short-to-intermediate passes with touch. He does that in practice right now, but he'll need to not throw with as much heat on shorter routes when the games count.

What to Watch for

Entering the final year of his contract, Osweiler might get an extension from the Broncos if he impresses during training camp and the preseason this year. Osweiler needs to show that he has command of this new offense. He also must prove he can make good decisions with the football and throw accurately to all levels of the field.

I talked to Andrew Mason from DenverBroncos.com earlier this month on my ESPN radio show—The Cecil Lammey Show—in Denver. Mason had some good things to say about Osweiler, but this quote really hit the mark.

"Nobody has more on the line in training camp than Brock Osweiler." Mason said during the interview.

Kubiak sounds like he agrees with that sentiment.

"So I know it's a big offseason for a lot of guys, but I think for him, it's been even a little bit bigger. I think he's getting better." Kubiak emphasized, "I know we can help him, and I know I can help him as a coach. We'll continue to do that, but it's a very important part of his career, and I see him working that way he knows that also."

Finding a quality starting quarterback is tough to do in the NFL. If he proves himself this training camp, Osweiler may get his chance to start with the Broncos in the near future. With his incredible natural skill set, he might be worth the wait.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.