BEREA, Ohio -- Brock Osweiler remains convinced he is a starting quarterback in the NFL.

"Absolutely," Osweiler said Wednesday in his first interview since being traded March 10 from the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns.

To those who doubt, Osweiler was direct: "I think the proof is in the film for the past two years."

Brock Osweiler, No. 17, says he "couldn't be any more excited" to be with the Browns after a tough 2016 season in Houston. Pat McManamon/ESPN

But if anyone might question that the film does not contain that proof, "It's OK," he said.

The comments carry bravado, but Osweiler spoke more with confidence than cockiness. He simply tried to convey he was not shaken by the Texans' trading him one year after he signed a four-year, $72 million contract.

"There was a coach that I played for in college, and he told me, only worry about the things that you can control," Osweiler said. "So from the time of the trade, that's all I've done. I couldn't be any more excited to be here. From the day I arrived, you couldn't have been welcomed in a better way."

Browns coach Hue Jackson said that Osweiler's role is "to come here every day and compete and get better and learn our system and fit into our culture and try to make it better. That's what he's done. Each and every day."

In 14 starts in Houston, Osweiler went 8-6 and threw for 2,957 yards with 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He started two playoff games, beating an Oakland team that was without Derek Carr and losing to the Patriots in a game in which he threw for 197 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.

"I couldn't be any more excited to be here. From the day I arrived you couldn't have been welcomed in a better way."

After that game ended, Osweiler spoke as if he'd be back in Houston as the starter. The Texans decided otherwise. Osweiler acknowledged he had no inkling the trade was coming.

"In fact, I was on the golf course in Arizona," he said. "I just finished up a workout. I was lifting, I threw, and I went and played some golf. I was standing in a sand trap, and I got a phone call, and here we come."

When the trade was announced, Osweiler was more or less considered a throw-in in a deal that brought the Browns a second-round draft pick in 2018. The Browns immediately took calls about trading Osweiler, but when no deal was agreed to, the Browns decided to keep him and see what he could do.

"Once again, I don't really make those decisions as far as what I was in the trade," Osweiler said. "The facts are: I'm here, I'm playing football, I love being a Cleveland Brown."

Osweiler declined to talk about what happened in Houston. He said he had no regrets about leaving Denver, where he backed up Peyton Manning and was part of a Super Bowl champion, to join the Texans.

In practice, Osweiler took reps with the second team behind Cody Kessler on his second day of on-field offseason work. His best play was a long throw down the sideline to Corey Coleman that dropped right into Coleman's hands.

Osweiler said he's far from perfect and has a long way to go. However, he said his expectation is to be the Browns' starter on opening day.

"If I came out here and told you guys I wanted to be the backup, I'm in the wrong business," he said. "Absolutely I want to play, and I want to help this football team win games. But I know there's a lot of work that needs to go into that, and ultimately I have to earn that on the practice field, and I have a lot of work ahead of me to do that."