The Houston Texans are in a state of emergency when it comes to the quarterback position. Ryan Mallett and Ryan Fitzpatrick are out for the final two games of the season. Tom Savage injured his knee. In an act of desperation, the team signed Case Keenum who was on the roster, but released following the trade for Mallett. While Keenum will do for the final two games, the focus for the Texans comes to the future of the position.
In 2014, Houston opted not to draft a quarterback until a later round, a decision that could come back to haunt them over the next few seasons. They traded away Matt Schaub and acquired Fitzpatrick while drafting Savage to be the potential future of the position. So far, that plan has backfired. Fitzpatrick struggled at the start of the year, forcing a trade for Mallett. The backup quarterback looked strong when he was named the starter, but suffered a season-ending injury in the next game. Fitzpatrick regained the starting spot and looked decent again, but a fractured leg has ended his season as well.
Fitzpatrick went down in the loss to the Indianapolis Colts after suffering a fracture in his leg. The veteran quarterback was attempting to rush on a second-and-6 play with the end result being Fitzpatrick getting carted off the field with an air cast on. Savage then took over, but the Houston Chronicle is reporting he will undergo an MRI following a knee injury in the second-to-last play of the game.
Keenum joins the team now to potentially start the final two games of the season. He was on the St. Louis Rams practice squad after spending his first two seasons with the Texans. Now the question becomes what the future of the quarterback spot will be for Houston. Fitzpatrick does not look like a long-term option. Keenum will be released. Mallett's contract expires and Savage has barely been seen.
The Houston Chronicle predicts the Texans will add a quarterback, but it is unlikely they do so in the draft. Houston could opt to re-sign Mallett who is young and showed good promise. They could chase Brian Hoyer, something ESPN's Adam Schefter believes is a possibility. They could also look at Mark Sanchez for help if he is not retained by the Philadelphia Eagles. It could be that Savage is actually developing into a real talent Houston is keeping under wraps. Adding another veteran to help at the chance that he is not ready to start just yet might be the best move the Texans could make for the future.
