Texans owner: Osweiler 'still basically a rookie'

Brock Osweiler hasn't exactly lived up to expectations after landing a 4-year, $72-million deal in free agency during the offseason.

Given the young quarterback's relative lack of experience, though, the Houston Texans don't seem to have any intentions of hitting the panic button.

"He's still basically a rookie," owner Bob McNair said Sunday, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. "He's going to make some mistakes, but he shows that he has the talent, he has the ability and has the leadership that the team has confidence in him."

Deeming Osweiler as a pseudo-rookie makes sense in that he still only has 15 career starts, and it's entirely possible that the 25-year-old's best playing days are still ahead of him.

The issue, as has been demonstrated through the first half of his debut season in Houston, is that a team desperate to solve its long-standing quarterback issues was comfortable dishing out $18 million per season to a player they admit is still this raw.

Osweiler has completed just 59.3 percent of his passes for 1,719 yards, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions through eight weeks to open his first year as a full-time starter.

Though a 5-3 record puts Houston in sole possession of first place in the AFC South, the quarterback play will have to improve if the team expects to make any sort of deep run into the playoffs.