HOUSTON — Houston Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor will start for the team under center during their Week 9 match against the 1-7 Miami Dolphins on Sunday, per coach David Culley.
Following a touchdown that put the Texans ahead 14-7 against the Cleveland Browns during a Week 2 loss in September, Taylor sustained a Grade 2 hamstring strain and has missed six consecutive games. The Texans have fallen to a 1-7 record in Taylor’s absence.
“He gives us the best chance to win,” Culley said during his media availability in October. “He was our starting quarterback when he went down. He was doing an excellent job. And when he returns, he will still be our starting quarterback.”
Tyrod Taylor getting more reps in today in comparison to the limited workload he took part in last week. #Texans pic.twitter.com/Hn55ykjrEH
— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) November 3, 2021
The Texans designated the 32-year-old quarterback from injured reserves ahead of their Week 8 match against the Los Angeles Rams.
Although he participated in practice for the first time since his injury, Culley acknowledged that Taylor was not ready to return to the active roster in time for the Texans’ 38-22 defeat to the Rams.
On Wednesday, it appeared that the Texans increased his workload during practice, as Taylor took first-team reps for the first time since his injury.
“Tyrod was a breath of fresh air out there — so, it was nice,” defensive back Justin Reid said following practice. “You can feel that electricity kind of running through the team. We’re just going to go and we’re going to play football. We’re going to play with our fundamentals, we’re going to get it right and we’re going to try and get a win.”
Before his injury, Taylor had the Texans playing their best football of the 2021 campaign. In the two games played, Taylor threw for 416 yards and two touchdowns, with one rushing touchdown and completed 70.5 percent of his passes.