The Houston Texans have cut Ryan Mallett after the quarterback missed the team charter flight to Miami in Week 7. Head coach Bill O'Brien released the quarterback on Tuesday and now Brian Hoyer will remain the starter with Mallett out of the picture heading into Week 8.
The Texans reportedly were considering their options this week following the game against Miami, which Mallett was dressed for in uniform. According to Pro Football Talk, Mallett missed the team flight to Miami and had to fly commercial to the game. This is not the first issue with timing regarding Mallett this season, as PFT writes that Mallett "overslept" and missed a practice in training camp the same week Hoyer was named the starting quarterback.
Mallett and Hoyer were both signed in the offseason and it came after the Texans traded for Mallett last season. Mallett and O'Brien had a relationship dating back to their time in New England, but clearly the timing issues were too much to overlook. Mallett had some red flags coming into the NFL draft and that is why he slipped and was taken in the middle rounds by the Patriots. The team used Mallett as a backup QB and then shipped him to Houston in a deal last season.
According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Mallett was "sent home" on Monday while the team decided what to do with the quarterback. Pro Football Talk reports that Mallett is now a free agent, as he was "not subject to waivers." Tania Ganguli at ESPN reports that the team is bringing back TJ Yates to be the backup for Hoyer. Yates was previously with the team in 2011 to 2013 and now he will be the second option behind Hoyer.
If Mallett was playing well this season, the decision may have been tougher, but he has not performed the way the Texans hoped he would. Mallett has 770 passing yards and three touchdowns with four interceptions and had completed just 53 percent of his passes in six games played. Last season Mallett had two TDs and two picks in three games played.
The Texans were already having a tough run of things before this issue, as the team had Arian Foster injured on Sunday and now he is out for the season. The Texans were demolished by the Dolphins, going down by 40 points at one point in the game before cutting things a little bit. The Texans now are just 2-5 on the season and they will next play against the Tennessee Titans in an AFC south division game in Week 8.
