The Houston Texans have issues at quarterback, and that would be even without the drama surrounding starter Deshaun Watson.
Watson’s backup for the last two seasons, A.J. McCarron, is without a contract and set to hit free agency. Furthermore, the club released their third quarterback on the roster in Josh McCown.
The drama with Watson turns the question of who will back up Watson to who will possibly replace Watson.
According to Marc Sessler of NFL.com, one free agent quarterback who would be a good fit for the Texans regardless of what happens with Watson would be Tyrod Taylor, who has ties to new coach David Culley.
First-year coach David Culley and newbie general manager Nick Caserio were air-dropped into a thorny war of wills with Deshaun Watson, the franchise quarterback who wants to play for another franchise. With no desire to trade him, the Texans — flush with needs on both sides of the ball — pull Tyrod Taylor into a role he’s played repeatedly to a tee: The veteran you can sell to casual fans until he’s invariably pushed out of the lineup by Watson or a to-be-determined upstart from parts unknown.
Taylor was the starting quarterback for the 2017 Buffalo Bills, producing an 8-6 mark that was the foundation for the club’s 9-7 finish and wild-card playoff berth, the first postseason qualification since 1999. Culley was the quarterbacks coach for the Bills from 2017-18.
Caserio also has experience with Taylor, although as an adversary. The New England Patriots, where Caserio was the director of player personnel since 2008, saw Taylor twice a year from 2015-17. Caserio has an idea of what Taylor could bring as a quarterback in offensive coordinator Tim Kelly’s system.
Regardless of what happens with Watson, the Texans will need to start acquiring quarterbacks. Taylor would be a player who could be a reliable backup, as he was with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2019-20, or a sufficient starter, as evidenced by his 24-21-1 record compiled with the Baltimore Ravens, Bills, Cleveland Browns, and Chargers.