:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48555149/usa-today-8964959.0.jpg)
Yesterday, Brett wrote an excellent post in which he observed that the Houston Texans had several areas of positional need besides quarterback that would require attention during the offseason. He's right, of course. Brian Hoyer's historic meltdown against the Chiefs notwithstanding, the Texans, like every NFL team, have a number of weaknesses elsewhere on the roster.
We also can't ignore that the void at quarterback is there, and the idea of hoping that the rest of the team plays exceptionally well enough to minimize the effect of the quarterback's flaws has significant limitations. Namely, in the playoffs. It's all well and good to have Brian Hoyer as your QB when you're playing the Jaguars and Titans; it's an entirely different kettle of fish when you're playing in Week 18.
Thus, the question turns to how the Texans will address the quarterback position this offseason. Currently, only Brian Hoyer and Tom Savage are under contract for the 2016 season. T.J. Yates, B.J. Daniels, and Brandon Weeden are all free agents. There are three ways the Texans could add a quarterback this offseason:
1. Via free agency.
2. Via trade.
3. Via the 2016 NFL Draft.
This post will only discuss the first option. To that end, what quarterbacks are currently scheduled to be free agents and thus possible additions to the Texans' roster in that fashion? Here's Spotrac's current list of free agent quarterbacks. Note that it includes players that seem very unlikely to actually make it to market, like Kirk Cousins and Brock Osweiler. It also doesn't include players who are technically still under contract but seem unlikely to be in the same place next year (Robert Griffin III? Peyton Manning, perhaps?)
Nevertheless, with those caveats in mind, what are your thoughts about which, if any, of those potential free agent quarterbacks the Houston Texans should target? Does a guy like Sam Bradford or Chase Daniel excite you? What about bringing one of the many ex-Texans on that list back? Matt Schaub, Case Keenum, and Ryan Fitzpatrick could be available! Or should the Texans simply re-sign T.J. Yates, Brandon Weeden, or both?
In my humble opinion, there's not really a realistic target, at least in terms of someone who could be a long-term solution at the position, on the list. That's not much of a surprise, as difference-makers at quarterback rarely make it to free agency. If the Texans are going to find an upgrade at QB, it almost HAS to come in the 2016 NFL Draft, doesn't it?