The Houston Texans could be on the look for a new quarterback this offseason and a trade for Jay Cutler, Nick Foles, Robert Griffin or Kirk Cousins could be potential options for Bill O'Brien and this comes as players like Brian Hoyer, Mark Sanchez, Ryan Mallett and Christian Ponder could be targets on the free agent market heading into the 2015 season.
The Texans had a bounce back year after going 2-14 in 2013 and they just missed the playoffs in the AFC wild card race. Field Yates at ESPN.com wrote about the end of the season for the Texans and suggested that had the team had a better QB this year, they could have been playoff bound. The Texans got a strong season from Arian Foster after he dealt with injuries the previous year, but they shuffled between Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett, Case Keenum and Tom Savage while dealing with injuries and poor play at the position.
Mallett was solid at times last season, but he did not do enough to guarantee the starting job in 2015 and now he hits the free agent market. The Texans have a number of options at the position, as they could start Savage, but many think he needs more time to develop, while names like Sanchez and Hoyer have been mentioned in connection to Houston. Trades are an option as well, but making a deal for Cutler or Griffin likely will cost a big package of picks or players.
One QB that could be a target in a trade is Nick Foles with the Eagles, as reports have him as a player that could move this offseason. According to NJ.com, the Eagles are considering moving Foles in the hopes of trading up to get Marcus Mariota and teams like the St. Louis Rams, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans were mentioned as potential options. The report says that Kelly likely will have to move up twice to get Mariota and trading Foles could get him enough extra picks to do it.
Foles could be a solid option for the Texans, as he has gone 14-4 as a starter for Kelly and has potential to be a consistent option for whoever he plays for in 2015 following a collarbone injury. This past season Foles regressed a bit with 13 touchdowns and 10 picks in eight games, but the previous season he was excellent, setting career highs with 27 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 64 percent completion percentage. The Texans likely could get Foles without totally blowing up their draft and that could be one thing O'Brien looks into this offseason.
Cutler had a solid year stats wise, but overall he was not great and the Bears struggled on offense, going 5-11 this year. Cutler has a massive contract and that could be the biggest issue in trading him, but it's something the Bears likely will at least consider. The team has a new head coach, offensive coordinator and general manager and now they will look at the possibility of trading Cutler after he was benched in Week 16 this past season.
The Texans finished the season with a 9-7 record and went 4-2 in the AFC South division. The Texans could be one of the sleeper teams in the conference in 2015 if they get an upgrade at quarterback.