Houston Texans: Tom Savage or Deshaun Watson to Start?

Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien and WR DeAndre Hopkins have endorsed Tom Savage as the starting QB. But how long can Savage hold off Deshaun Watson?

They say the most popular player on a football team is the backup quarterback. Well, with the way the Houston Texans starter Brock Osweiler played last season, it’s easy to see why Savage’s teammates are confident in him.

Here’s what star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had to say recently about Tom Savage:

"“I like his leadership,” Hopkins said. “From last year, when he wasn’t playing on the field, he was still showing the guys, telling us what we should do, helping us out like he was the starting quarterback. Now that he’s in that role, it’s no surprise to anybody on this field that he deserves that role. He has earned it, not just from playing, but from the chemistry he has built-in the locker room with everybody.”"

The Houston Texans lost so much confidence in Osweiler that they traded him to the Cleveland Browns just one season after signing him to huge contract. That move suggests that they do have confidence in Tom Savage to start if need be.

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However, the Texans also went ahead and draft quarterback Deshaun Watson in the first round of the NFL Draft. And when you take a quarterback in the first round, that’s a clear sign that you want him as the franchise guy.

The Houston Texans know what they have on defense with J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and company. So whoever starts at quarterback, they have that safety net of the best defense in football surrounding them.

They Texans won the AFC South last season with Brock Osweiler at quarterback. So whether it’s Tom Savage or Deshaun Watson who starts, the Texans know he team can still win regardless.

But for now the Houston Texans are saying all the right things. In their hearts they want Deshaun Watson to win the job in training camp and preseason. However, if he fails to do so, they have to talk up Savage and have him mentally ready to start to open the season.

I don’t think Savage will hold off Deshaun Watson. Tom Savage knows the offense and would probably be better than Brock Osweiler was last season. However, Watson has the bigger upside and his play making ability adds another dimension to what Bill O’Brien wants to do on offense.

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I look for Deshaun Watson to win the job in the preseason and for Tom Savage to settle in as the backup ready to go if Watson falters. But Watson made plenty of starts at Clemson and is not afraid of the big stage. The Houston Texans will get him going as the starting QB sooner than later.