Texans' Deshaun Watson: Impresses in preseason debut

Watson completed 15 of 25 passes for 179 yards and rushed three times for 24 yards and a touchdown in Wednesday's preseason opener against the Panthers.

Watson watched Tom Savage lead Houston's first three series, but then got his first taste of NFL action during the second and third quarters. Playing in front of plenty of local support from his college days at Clemson, Watson showed just why the Texans traded up to draft him in the first round. The athletic signal-caller was able to move the pocket, extend plays and evade rushers, with the latter skill leading to a 15-yard touchdown run to end the third quarter. Prior to that, though, Watson put good zip on his passes, helping the offense move the chains on a few occasions. The rookie's only negatives were a couple of misplaced seam throws, and although his productive night came against fellow backups, Watson certainly made a strong case to earn some first-team snaps in the practices and games to come.