Ryan Mallett is quickly making his mark on the Houston Texans following a trade from the New England Patriots last week. The quarterback has been stuck as Tom Brady's backup since he entered the league, but now has a shot at seeing some time as the starter if certain cards fall for Houston in 2014. Mallett entered a quarterback rotation that includes veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and rookie Tom Savage and he is quickly making his way up the depth chart.
According to head coach Bill O'Brien, Mallett is already No. 2 on the team's depth chart as he continues to impress with each practice. Now granted all he had to do was beat out rookie Savage, but given his quick jump, Mallett looks poised for a starting job if given the chance. Mallett has a big advantage entering Houston. He is very familiar with the type of offense O'Brien likes to run after the two worked together in New England and the head coach is already seeing qualities he likes in the quarterback.
"The foundation of what he knows is very similar to what we had in the three years in New England," O'Brien said, via the Houston Chronicle. "He was drafted in (2011) when I was there. We spent the rookie year together and then I went to Penn State. (In 2012) and '13, he stayed and was attentive in meetings. It's obvious since he's been here. Just the transition of Ryan coming in to this offense, certainly we do things, some things a little bit differently than what they do, based on our personnel. ... But the foundation of it is very similar, so he's been able to pick (it) right up."
Mallett will not see the starting job until Fitzpatrick gives him a reason to be on the field. The veteran is penciled in as the Week 1 starter after playing in the role throughout the entire preseason. However, the veteran failed to impress many fans in the four games which caused Houston to make the trade in the first place. Clearly there is a lack of confidence in Fitzpatrick which could push Mallett to the front sooner rather than later.
Fantasy owners investing in the Houston Texans should proceed with caution. The quarterback issues could cause some struggles for the team's biggest stars like Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins. The money will be on Arian Foster who should help bail out whichever quarterback is under center.