Will the Texans’ Issues at QB Force Them to Look at Veteran Options?

It doesn’t normally make a lot of sense to look too much into a team’s performance in the first preseason game of the year. But when you lose 32-0 and your quarterbacks throw for a grand total of 82 yards on 22 pass attempts, you better look into what the issues are and how to solve them. 

That’s exactly what situation the Texans find themselves in after a blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday evening. The performance wasn’t only disastrous, it seemed to bring up memories of their 14-game losing streak to end last year.

Courtesy of Houston Chronicle: Houston’s QB play was disastrous in preseason opener.

Veteran starter Ryan Fitzpatrick completed just 6-of-14 passes for 55 yards and two interceptions. Fitzpatrick’s first drive lasted three plays and yielded just seven yards before he was intercepted on just the second play of Houston’s second possession.

Overall, Fitzpatrick’s five drives yielded 126 total yards and zero points.

Houston tallied just 17 total yards on two Case Keenum-led possessions in the third quarter before rooking Tom Savage tallied -4 yards in his fourth quarter possessions.

That’s what you would call horrendous overall production from the quarterback position. Even with three preseason games remaining, the Texans may very well be forced to look at the free agent or trade market for a viable veteran option. While the options may very well be limited, there are a few players they could look at adding.

Ryan Mallett, New England Patriots

This is the most obvious choice. New Texans head coach Bill O’Brien, a former offensive coordinator in New England, has a built-in relationship with Mallett. He also had success at Penn State grooming another strong-armed quarterback in the form of Christian Hackenberg. Based on the fact that everyone knows Mallett is currently on the trade block, there is little reason to believe that he would cost more than a mid-round pick. That’s not too bad for someone O’Brien could potentially start from Day 1 and utilize as a reclamation project. It’s also important to note that Mallett struggled in his preseason debut against the Washington Redskins, further lowering his trade value.

Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings

Courtesy of NY Times: Ponder likely won’t be in a Vikings uniform Week 1.

Ponder, a former first-round pick who led Minnesota to the playoff back in 2012, doesn’t even look like a NFL-caliber quarterback at this stage of his career. His performance last season and a less-than-stellar outing against the Oakland Raiders on Friday night both point to a regression on the part of the former Florida State standout. While acquiring Ponder wouldn’t necessarily unseat Ryan Fitzpatrick as the Texans’ starting quarterback, it would provide some competition in camp without much of a risk. If Ponder isn’t traded by Week 1, he’s likely going to be cut by Minnesota. This is an indication that any team trading for him could potentially give Minnesota nothing more than a conditional late-round pick.

Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins

It’s not known whether Washington would part with Cousins, but it was reportedly offering him up in trades during the 2014 NFL draft. With Colt McCoy, who has starting experience, as the Redskins No. 3, there is a chance they may try to get some value for Cousins. Realistically, this could be Houston’s best move. Cousins represents more upside than the other two quarterbacks listed here and could be a viable long-term option for the Texans. It all depends on whether the Redskins would be willing to move him and what Houston might offer.

Photo: Epoch Times Sports