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AFC South Q&A: Are growing pains ahead for Brock Osweiler and Texans?

Today's question: While the rest of the AFC South drafted their quarterbacks of the future, the Houston Texans opted for a slightly more known quantity. Is Brock Osweiler enough of a known quantity that they'll be able to avoid some of the growing pains that come with young quarterbacks?

Mike DiRocco, Jacksonville Jaguars reporter: You would hope so, as Osweiler is in his fifth season and has thrown 305 passes in his career, including 275 last season with Denver. One thing to like about Osweiler is his efficiency: He has completed 61.3 percent of his passes and has 11 touchdown passes to six interceptions. However, he also got benched because he played so poorly at home with the No. 1 seed in the AFC on the line against a middle-of-the-pack San Diego defense. Granted, he went 5-2 as a starter, but he had the league's best defense supporting him. He also had Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. His weapons in Houston aren't as good. Still, Osweiler gives them a better chance to win than a rookie quarterback.

Paul Kuharsky, Tennessee Titans reporter: I think they will still have some growing pains. Osweiler has been in the league and played a bit. That's nice compared to the options they saw in the draft. It's also way more expensive. But anyone thinking they've added a known quantity and a sure thing at quarterback might be in for a jolt. The quarterback situation has always been the question for the Texans. This move makes them better than they've been with David Carr, Sage Rosenfels and Matt Schaub after the downturn and the crew they tried that was headlined by Brian Hoyer, who fell apart at the worst time. But "better than that" and "good" aren't the same thing. They'll need some time, and Osweiler still might wind up the fourth-best starter in the division.

Mike Wells, Indianapolis Colts reporter: Osweiler's resume consists of a total of seven career starts -- all last season. I'm still scratching my bald head over why the Texans gave Osweiler a four-year contract worth $72 million, considering he's started seven games. Let's put the money to the side for a moment: What Osweiler has in his favor is that he was Peyton Manning's teammate during the first four seasons of his NFL career in Denver. And while Osweiler's playing time was limited, you can't take away the knowledge he picked up from a future first-ballot Hall of Famer during those four seasons. If there's one thing Colts quarterback Andrew Luck should be a little envious of with Osweiler, it's the help he gets on the other side of the ball. The Texans quarterback goes from having the NFL's best defense in Denver, to now having the NFL's most feared defensive player in J.J. Watt in Houston. That's not a bad position for Osweiler to be in.