5 NFL teams that should draft Lamar Jackson in 2018
2. Houston Texans
About nine months ago, the Houston Texans swiped quarterback Brock Osweiler away from the Denver Broncos for four years, and over $70 million. It seemed like an incredible sum for a player who hadn’t taken many NFL snaps. But given how he worked behind Peyton Manning for four years, the Texans felt there was enough to warrant signing the Arizona State product.
Well, so far, the investment has failed miserably. Through 11 games, Osweiler has a 59.5 completion percentage (29th in the league), 2,307 passing yards (24th), 12 touchdowns (tied for 21st), and just 13 interceptions (tied for first). Given how bad the AFC South is, he still has them in the playoff hunt. If they make the playoffs, he’ll probably be given another year to prove his worth as well. This could be a foregone conclusion since Houston gave him so much money.
Given how Osweiler has played, there’s no reason to think that he’ll drastically improve in 2017. This would put the Texans in a position to potentially make a change at general manager and head coach. The new brass may want their own quarterback to groom and work with, so that could leave Lamar Jackson as an intriguing option for the 2018 draft.
Of course, the Texas would need to have a miserable 2017 season to get Jackson. However, given the way this team is trending, that may be the case, even though they haven’t been awful in 2016. The poor play on offense could result in the team wanting to revamp part of the roster to hopefully rebuild it into a quality unit. This doesn’t always work well and has a chance of resulting in the Texans falling even further in 2017.
Texan fans probably still remember their first-ever selection, David Carr, from the 2002 draft. He got installed as the quarterback and instant face of the franchise, but never lived up to the hype. It’s a No. 1 pick that’s considered as one of the biggest busts of all-time. So, in this scenario, the Houston fans would have to accept another high pick in Jackson.
The Louisville product is unlike what the Texans have ever had at quarterback, though. They haven’t had an electric presence that can use both his arms and legs to make plays. Pocket passers like Carr, Osweiler, Matt Schaub, and Brian Hoyer have been the identity of the Texans quarterback position, so maybe it’s time to go in a different direction and see what works. That’s if a potentially new coaching and front office brass in brought in.