Texans GM opens the door for Deshaun Watson to possibly win the starting QB job
It looks like there's going to be a QB competition in Houston
By
John Breech
•
3 min read
After one week of mulling it over, it looks like the Texans have decided that handing the starting quarterback job to Tom Savage might not be the best way to go into the 2017 season.
During an interview with ESPN radio this week, Texans general manager Rick Smith revealed that the team's newest quarterback, Deshaun Watson, will get to compete for the starting job this offseason.
"We want to provide a competitive environment across the board. So [Watson will] compete," Smith said on the "Stephen A. Smith Show," via ESPN.com. "[But] like I said, we feel good about Tom and his abilities to manage the offense. But yeah, [Watson] will come in, and just like every other guy on the roster, he'll have time to play."
Smith sounded a lot more enthusiastic about holding a competition this week than he did last week.
After Houston traded up to grab Watson with the 12th overall pick in the NFL Draft, Texans coach Bill O'Brien and Smith were both adamant that Savage would be the team's starter for the immediate future, which was almost ironic because they risked their future to grab Watson.
"Tom is our starter and Deshaun will come in and he's going to work hard and we're going to teach him and feed him a lot of information and he'll work at it," O'Brien said after the draft.
As for Smith, he had a message for anyone who wasn't buying the fact that Savage would start over Watson.
"I don't know if people believe us, but we're comfortable with Tom Savage as our quarterback," Smith said.
One week later, it appears that the organization has decided that a quarterback competition is probably the best way to go for a Texans team that really hasn't had a capable starter during O'Brien's three seasons in Houston.
The list of quarterbacks who have started under O'Brien reads off like a who's who of guys you don't ever want starting for your team: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brock Osweiler, Brandon Weeden, Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallet are among them.
That list alone is a solid argument for giving Watson a shot at the starting job.
"Our mentality is that we try to create the most competitive environment possible, at every position," Smith said. "So there are some things that Deshaun has to come in and learn -- all these rookies. They've got to come in, and there's so much that they don't know about pro football."
With Watson, the Texans will be hoping the ninth time's the charm. In O'Brien's three seasons as coach, he's dealt with eight different starting quarterbacks, including Savage, who started two games for Houston last season.
One thing the Texans will be getting in Watson is a quarterback who doesn't lose often. During his three years at Clemson, Watson went 32-3 as a starter.
Although Watson likely wants to be the team's starter, he wasn't about to start a quarterback controversy during his first week on the job. In his first interview after being drafted, Watson said he was going to do his best to learn from guys like Savage and Weeden.
"All I need to do is put my head down, don't say anything, learn from all the veteran guys, learn from Tom Savage, learn from Brandon Weeden and just play my role," Watson said on April 27. "Whatever role that is, play it well and help the team win."
Texans fans are probably hoping that Watson doesn't learn too much from Weeden, who has a 6-19 career record as a starter.
