The Houston Texans brought in Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett to compete to start at quarterback this season and Bill O'Brien will look at things in training camp and this comes as Jaelen Strong and Kenny Hilliard could be big contributors on offense after the draft, as Arian Foster and DeAndre Hopkins need some support on that side of the ball in 2015.
O'Brien comes in after nearly taking the Texans to the playoffs and he is looking at Hoyer as the starter on the depth chart coming into camp. According to the Houston Chronicle, Hoyer will get the chance to start, but Mallett also will be competing for the number one spot on the depth chart in training camp. Mallett started games for the Texans last season and Hoyer comes in after opening last season as the starter for the Browns.
Hoyer was off to a good start last season before faltering down the stretch and now Josh McCown is in Cleveland and Hoyer is in Texas. Hoyer went 7-4 to open the year in Cleveland and while things did not end up going well down the stretch, he has some foundation to build on this year. Mallett was up and down after getting traded to the Texans from the Patriots and now the two will battle for the starting job. Mallett signed a deal for $7 million over two years and Hoyer comes in on a two-year, $10.5 million contract with $4.75 million guaranteed.
Hoyer should have the inside edge over Mallett, but O'Brien is going to give both players the chance to get the job. Hoyer comes in after throwing for 12 touchdowns and 13 interception last season with 3334 yards and Mallett comes in after playing three games with the Texans. Mallett is not nearly as experienced as Hoyer and that could come into play, as he has just two touchdowns and three interceptions in his career with New England and Houston.
The Texans let Andre Johnson go this offseason and that puts DeAndre Hopkins at the top of the depth chart at wide receiver. The team added Cecil Shorts in free agency and Jaelen Strong in the draft and those two players should give the offense some depth at wide receiver. Hopkins had a breakout season in 2014 with 76 catches for 1210 yards and six touchdowns and he could be even better this season. Adding Shorts and Strong should only open things up for Hopkins in the offense along with Arian Foster in the rushing game and Hilliard should help too.
Strong was a third round pick for the Texans and the team expects him to be a contributor this year. Strong had some injury issues coming into the draft, but he is expected to be fine for training camp and he had some solid stats while playing at Arizona State. Strong played two seasons for the Sun Devils and had over 150 catches and 17 touchdowns while averaging 15 yards per reception. Strong could give the Texans a deep threat option with Hopkins and according to John McClain on Twitter, O'Brien has not been happy with Strong and some of the rookie players' conditioning this offseason.
