Is Ryan Fitzpatrick safe as Texans’ starter at QB?
With the news of one youngster supplanting a veteran, it’s time to wonder if it could happen again. Matt Schaub lost his spot to Derek Carr for Oakland’s starting job. Is Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick next?
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Waiting in line is Tom Savage and newly acquired quarterback Ryan Mallett. Typically, Fitzpatrick would be on tight leash, but those two players aren’t exactly the most threatening backups in the league.
“Mallett, 26, won’t challenge for the starting spot any time soon, and veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick remains locked in as O’Brien’s No. 1, despite an off-on-off preseason,” wrote Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. “Rookie Tom Savage remains the ideal long-term solution, despite seeing his on-field activity limited throughout training camp and dealing with the reality of being a fourth-round pick.
“What Mallett adds is New England familiarity. And a strong, potentially true NFL arm. And the possibility O’Brien and [QBs coach George] Godsey could ‘save’ the once-troubled QB, developing two projects at once, then placing the Texans in Mallett’s or Savage’s hands at the same time New England is cashing in a 2016 pick that likely will be forgotten immediately.”
The term “project” is most appropriate for the Texans’ backups. Fitzpatrick is a stop-gap — and not a stop-gap like Raiders’ Matt Schaub was. He doesn’t have anyone hot on his heels. The familiarity that Mallett has from New England only goes so far. Fitzpatrick has light years of familiarity with the Texans system through the offseason and preseason. So until Mallett can prove an absolute mastery of the system, he’s not a viable option. There’s a lot of hype around him, but he’s only thrown one completion in NFL regular season play.
And Tom Savage couldn’t hurt a fly in a quarterback competition — let alone a veteran like Fitzpatrick.