The Houston Texans managed to finish this past season at 9-7 despite not getting much from the quarterback position or from 2014 No. 1 overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney. Veteran journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick took the majority of snaps under center for the Texans in 2014, with backups Ryan Mallett, Case Keenum and rookie Tom Savage getting some limited playing time as well. Clowney, meanwhile, recorded just seven total tackles in four game appearances while struggling with several knee injuries.
Overall, first-year head coach Bill O'Brien surprised a lot of NFL folks by finishing above .500.
Now, Houston fans hope to build on this unexpected success. But to do so, the team will have to make some major changes at quarterback.
"The thinking is that head coach Bill O'Brien has done a terrific job with the Houston Texans, despite the fact that they don't really have much at the quarterback position," Rob Rang of CBS Sports said. "They do believe in their young rookie Tom Savage, a big armed quarterback...But if the Texans are going to take that next step, then they really do need help at the quarterback position, so I absolutely believe that the Texans could be one of those teams that is also looking to trade up aggressively to get a quarterback."
Trading up for a top QB prospect may prove to be a significant challenge for the Texans this year. Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston are considered the cream of the crop in the quarterback draft class. They are expected to be selected, in some order, with the first two picks of the draft. Houston holds the No. 16 pick, a grand canyon-sized roadblock to traverse. How they plan to move up near the top of the draft board is anyone's guess.
Free agency doesn't offer much in terms of hope either. The best available options appear to be Mark Sanchez and Brian Hoyer. Houston might be best served to continue with Ryan Fitzpatrick while hoping Savage or another quarterback can contribute in 2015.
