The Rundown: The Offseason Look at the Houston Texans Quarterbacks
Patrick Starr
Friday at 9:15 AM
A closer look at the Houston Texans quarterbacks heading into the 2016 season.
Quarterbacks
Under Contract
Brought in towards the end of the season off of the Seattle Seahawks practice squad,
B.J. Daniels played quarterbacking and even did some wide receiver plus punt returns. The Texans tried to make him part of the offense insetting him in as the quarterback that ran the read option game but there was just not enough reps in real game action to get him comfortable. The Texans tried to be versatile with him on the field but that was a scrapped during the wild card round during the season. The Texans can use Daniels for 2016 but he will have to show he can help in all spots to make the team coming out of camp.
It was a lost season for
Tom Savage who would have no doubt seen the field with the turmoil and injuries at the position. Savage was placed on the injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury on a blown blocked assignment in the final preseason game. The Texans would not wait on Savage to get healthy so they placed him on the injured reserve. Savage was a victim of the organization hitching their wagons to Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer. There could have been a better feel for Savage if things would have been different for him during the start of the season but there is nothing anyone can do now to change it. Savage spent time with the team the entire season and learning as much as he could in the film room and throwing after practices. (he could not practice with teammates due to him being placed on the I.R.) Savage took plenty of mental reps and now he has to put it together during the summer months to make he coaches look his way.
Brian Hoyer was the odds on favorite to land the starting job when the team broke training camp and he did. Then he had the plug pulled on him quickly after a terrible start in week one with some critical turnovers. It was not until Mallett was cut from the team that the coaching staff bought into Hoyer as a quarterback. Hoyer’s biggest issues came from two concussions in less than a month that changed his confidence as a player and it was clear in week 17 he was feeling pressure that was not there. His entire season imploded in the wild card round against the Chiefs where he was handing out free gifts all afternoon. There were positives with Hoyer but not enough strung together to feel that the Texans were trending up. The offense was never at full strength and he did not play well enough to carry the team at any point of the season.
Free Agents
T.J. Yates worked his magic once again and was instrumental in saving the Texans season with a fill in win over Cincinnati and a big game against the New York Jets to push them into the playoff race. Yates is highly inaccurate but he somehow finds key throws that flip the field for big plays. When Yates arrived in the locker room he helped bring a calmness to the team and he still has some clout for what he did his rookie season. His torn ACL ended his season in Indianapolis but there is little chance the Texans make the playoffs without him.
Talk about coming back from the afterlife, that is exactly what
Brandon Weeden did with the Texans. Just like Yates, Weeden saved the team versus the Colts for their first win against them in Indianapolis in franchise history. Then lead the Texans to a decisive win over the Titans with him looking poised in the pocket. Weeden was a integral part for the Texans because of the injuries to Yates and Hoyer and it was clear why he was a 1st round talent at one point. His arm strength was lauded by teammates and he always looked under control during games. Only hear for the remainder of the season, Weeden might have extended his NFL shelf like for another team to give him a shot.
Offseason Overview
It has been made very clear on more than one occasion from Owner Bob McNair that the Texans need to find a young quarterback from the draft. What McNair says public on what he wants, he usually gets what he wants for the team. So expect a quarterback to arrive to Houston via the draft.
Brian Hoyer’s future was still being discussed and what direction they should go with him and if the Texans opt to run Hoyer back out on the field week one of 2016 there could be some serious issues.
Tom Savage should be the only quarterback on the roster that should be safe. Savage will need to put him together a blockbuster camp to prove he can be the starter for the near future for the Texans.
There is no doubt this is the biggest question for the Texans during the offseason and the team is at a crossroads on what they should do. The Texans could be in line for their fourth different quarterback to start week one in four seasons, that is nothing to be proud of.
The Texans need to find continuity from the position and that will lead to a better success rate on the offense. All eyes will turn to coach Bill O’Brien and general manager Rick Smith to find the right quarterback to lead this team.
