Texans Hint: Could Still Add QB Via Free Agency or NFL Draft
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans are without a franchise quarterback for the first time since 2017. The Texans traded Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns on Friday. And in exchange, Houston received a massive haul of draft picks.
The Texans did not acquire a player back in the deal, which was surprising to some given that Baker Mayfield was available. The emergence of Davis Mills gave Houston a sense of comfortability to not swap for the opposing team's quarterback.
General manager Nick Caserio is noncommittal but optimistic that Mills can serve as Watson's successor. But the Texans will not rule out the possibility of pursuing a quarterback in free agency or during the NFL Draft.
"We’ll look at all of our options and what those entail," Caserio said at NRG Stadium on Saturday. "We’re certainly cognizant of what’s going on in the league. We’ve done a lot of work and we’ll look at every option, and ultimately we’ll do what we feel is best for our situation."
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Houston signed veteran quarterback Kyle Allen this off-season. It's doubtful that Allen will become a threat to Mills' starting role. But with five picks in the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Texans can create competition by selecting one of college football's top quarterback prospects.
Liberty's Malik Willis and Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett are the top two prospects there. Both Pickett and Willis could be taken in the first round.
It's doubtful the Texans will select a quarterback with their top two picks in the draft (No. 3 overall and No. 13 overall). But Houston could attempt to address the need should North Carolina's Sam Howell fall to the second or third round.
"When you get into the draft, you really don’t want to necessarily eliminate any position or a particular player," Caserio said. "You just want to look at it with the mentality and just figure out what makes the most sense for the organization.
"It’s about picking good players. It’s about picking the right players that you think fit what you’re trying to do. We’ll look at everything, we’re knee-deep in that right now and we’ll have another five or six weeks left until we get to the draft to work through that process."
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The Texans are keeping their options open following Watson's exit. After a promising rookie season, Mills has the advantage ... but he's not locked in.
