The Houston Texans had the chance to draft any quarterback they wanted last year with the No. 1 overall pick. It was a draft considered very deep at the position while players like Derek Carr, Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles appear to have lived up to the hype their rookie seasons. However, the Texans drafted Jadeveon Clowney who promptly sat out a majority of the year with an injury. The result is the Texans are currently looking for a quarterback again and head coach Bill O'Brien is open to all possibilities.
O'Brien does not appear set on drafting another quarterback this year after the team took Tom Savage in 2014, but he is seeking a quarterback competition heading into training camp. The Texans have plenty of quarterbacks on the roster, but no one is healthy at the moment. Ryan Fitzpatrick was the starter in 2014 until he got injured. He still has one more year remaining on his contract. Savage is under contract for the upcoming season, but ended last year injured. Case Keenum is actually still on the roster and will be an exclusive-rights free agent in the offseason. There is also Ryan Mallett who was acquired in a trade last year and ended the year injured. He will be a free agent come March and will have some attention on the open market.
O'Brien recognizes that the Texans have a lot of quarterbacks on the roster, but is not sure who is the best option to start. Many believe the best option could be Mallett, but that would require re-signing the quarterback to a new contract, something that could get overlooked in the offseason. Right now, O'Brien is happy let the quarterbacks compete for the job.
"We feel like we have some good guys here in the building that played well for us this year in Mallett, Fitzy (Fitzpatrick), and Case Keenum," O'Brien said via the Texans' website. "We've got some guys right here and we know there are guys out there. We know, especially as Mallett here as a free agent, we understand that. So, we're still in the process of evaluating our guys. We are in the process of evaluating what's out there and I believe, at the end of the day, we'll make a good decision for the Houston Texans. We'll make the right decision and it will probably be a competition. It will be something where guys come in and compete and have to win the job and that's the way it should be and that's what we're looking to do."
Fitzpatrick played well last year, but not well enough to sell the fanbase on a successful season ahead. Mallett appears to be the quarterback with the most potential, while Savage has barely been seen or heard from. The Texans are not sounding like a team that will chase free agents like Brian Hoyer or Mark Sanchez nor will they try and grab a top quarterback in the draft. One thing is certain, wide receiver Andre Johnson has no interest in losing again and the quarterback competition could dictate where he takes his future with the franchise.
