The Houston Texans simply don’t have a viable quarterback on their active roster. Rookie third-round pick Davis Mills has started each of the past two games with Tyrod Taylor currently on injured reserve and embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson being a healthy inactive for the first four games of the season.
By now, it’s well known what is going on with Watson behind the scenes. He requested a trade early last offseason, only to ultimately face allegations of sexual assault and/or misconduct from north of 20 women.
All of this has put first-year head coach David Culley in a less-than-stellar situation. We saw that first-hand against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Huge underdogs in the game, Houston lost by the score of 40-0. Mills completed 3-of-10 passes for negative eight net yards and two interceptions in the first three quarters. He finished the game having thrown four interceptions.
Amid at least one report that the Houston Texans are inquiring with other teams about a potential trade for a quarterback, we look at five options for this rebuilding team.
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Houston Texans trade for Nick Foles
Foles, 32, would be the definition of a stopgap option for the Texans. Perhaps, a way to stay somewhat afloat during what is going to be a lost season in Houston. He’d also come cheaper than the other limited options potentially on the block.
The former Super Bowl MVP is stuck behind Justin Fields and Andy Dalton on the Bears’ depth chart. He’s also earning a base salary of just $4 million and could likely be had for a conditional late-round pick. For a Texans squad that wants to build through the draft, that’s no small thing.
Houston Texans trade for Drew Lock
Veteran Teddy Bridgewater beat out Lock for the Broncos’ starting job during the preseason. The former Pro Bowl continued with a high level of play heading into Week 4, completing 77% of his passes for 827 yards and four touchdowns for an undefeated Broncos team.
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Where does this leave Drew Lock? The former second-round pick could either be moved ahead of November’s trade deadline or next offseason. He’s still only 24 years old and boasts the physical skill-set to succeed in the right system. If Houston can land him for a mid-round pick, it might make sense.
Houston Texans trade for Gardner Minshew
How about this for a turnabout? Over the past several months, the Philadelphia Eagles have been linked to the aforementioned Watson in trade talks. While that’s now died down some, it would not be a shock if the team were involved in yet another trade surrounding a quarterback.
Philadelphia just recently traded for the 25-year-old Gardner Minshew. In said deal, the Eagles yielded a late-round pick in 2022 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Having shown promise in limited playing time with the Jags, Minshew would come cheap from both a financial and draft pick standpoint. He’s slated to earn under $1 million in 2022, the final year of his rookie deal. At this point, Houston needs to do something. Minshew might make the most sense.
Houston Texans trade for Jordan Love
Green Bay traded up in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft for Jordan Love. To say that it causes some issues between the organization and reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers would be an understatement. Perhaps, Green Bay looks to cater to Rodgers by moving off his young backup. It could also be a way for the Packers to go into full-scale win-now mode.
How would this trade look from a logistical perspective? Packers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was just placed on injured reserve. Rodgers could use another target. That’s where Brandin Cooks could come into play for the championship contenders. Meanwhile, Houston adds a young quarterback it might be able to build around moving forward.
Houston Texans trade for Jimmy Garoppolo
First-year Texans general manager Nick Caserio was a member of the Patriots’ organization when they selected Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was also one of the key figures that pushed back against trading the Super Bowl quarterback to San Francisco during the 2017 season. There’s certainly a relationship here.
As for the 49ers, there’s going to come a point this season that they must turn to rookie No. 3 pick Trey Lance. When that happens is anyone’s best guess. What we do know is that Jimmy GQ is not going to be long in San Francisco. Whether it’s as a stopgap option or even long-term, Garoppolo could make sense for the Texans.