Texans will keep three QBs; Case Keenum will start Thursday
The reign of Tom Savage will start in the distant future — the very distant future. Case Keenum will be the starter for the Texans final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday. While Keenum is the likely backup, the game will serve as the deal breaker for the backup competition between he and Savage. Regardless of the outcome, head coach Bill O’Brien said Keenum, Savage and starter Ryan Fitzpatrick will all “more than likely” make the team.
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O’Brien said on Tuesday downtown after the team’s annual luncheon with fans, via CSN Houston, “And we’ll determine based on the amount of plays, because it’s again a difficult thing in a game but you’re trying to make a fair evaluation. We’ll start Case and then we’ll see how many plays we’ll get there with him and then we’ll put Tom in.”
Fitzpartick will be dressed but is expected not to play. O’Brien said he might throw the starter in for situational work.
He spoke about his desire to keep all there quarterbacks they’ve work with in camp.
“You have to put value in that because they put a lot of work in and they know the system, all three of them,” O’Brien said. “Different levels because Tom got here after the draft. But all three of these guys have an understanding of this system. They all have their share of decent moments. Like all of us, they’ve had their share of not-so-good moments but they’ve improved every week and you definitely take that into account.
“… But at the end of the day, these three guys deserve that you take that into account that you’ve put a lot of work in.”
While its not efficient to carry three quarterbacks, it makes sense in Houston’s situation where Tom Savage is an incredibly talented a raw playmaker but may not be ready for backup responsibilities — especially because the Texans’ backup job has a wafer thin line between backup and starter. Fitzpatrick has not proved a reliable starter.