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Thanks to FeedemtotheWolves for tweeting a link to Charles Robinson's most interesting look at how your Houston Texans could affect the rest of the NFL by their decision about what to do at quarterback this offseason. You should definitely read the whole thing, but here's an excerpt to get your engine revving.
Late last week at the NFL scouting combine, a personnel man was working his relationships for a specific piece of information. With his team laying a foundation for draft and free-agent maneuvering, he had a pressing question: What are the Houston Texans planning at quarterback?
This has been one of the steadiest leaguewide queries since the Super Bowl, posed by a string of team executives, coaches and agents, each jockeying to get a grasp on a market hungry for offseason quarterback options. In their pursuit, a pattern has emerged, placing the Texans as one of the most pivotal dominos in the quarterbacks market this offseason. Thanks to a variety of factors, Houston is officially a preferred destination, be it for purposes of leverage or a genuine interest in putting a quarterback in an ideal situation to succeed.
It appears the Texans are happy to oblige that position, too. The team met with a litany of quarterbacks at the combine, including the five big names that have been on the draft radar for months: North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, Cal's Jared Goff, Memphis' Paxton Lynch, Michigan State's Connor Cook and Penn State's Christian Hackenberg. But it doesn't end there.
Brock Osweiler and Robert Griffin III are expected to get looks on the Texans' free-agent radar. Osweiler in particular might be a far bigger target than anyone anticipates. Even the New England Patriots' Jimmy Garoppolo could come into play with Tom Brady's recent contract extension (though any starting point in a conversation regarding Garoppolo is expected to be a first-round pick). Even Peyton Manning, should he continue his career, is a name that can't be ruled out of the Texans' equation.
We've already spent--and will surely continue to spend--significant time discussing the Texans' draft options at QB, so I'm going to focus the rest of this post on the veteran possibilities. More to the point, I'll narrow it down even further to two potential free agent options.
How would you feel about the Texans signing Brock Osweiler, assuming he hits free agency? Would you prefer him to RGIII? Or is RGIII a more appealing option? In his article, Robinson mentions that the second overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft is "...eyeing Houston as a potential long-term destination." Do you even believe Griffin can still be a successful QB in the NFL?
Perhaps you're of the mind that none of the veteran options likely to be available in free agency is palatable, whether it be for skill or salary reasons. If that's the case, are you at peace with the idea of the Texans drafting a QB and bringing back one or more of the QBs on the roster from last season--Brian Hoyer, Tom Savage, T.J. Yates, or Brandon Weeden?
Deposit your two cents in the Comments below as we discuss the possibilities on this gorgeous Friday afternoon.