Texans reportedly starting Deshaun Watson in Week 2
After stepping in off the bench on Sunday, Deshaun Watson is in line to make his first NFL start in Week 2.
After a scoreless first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the Houston Texans benched quarterback Tom Savage in favor of Deshaun Watson. The rookie out of Clemson provided a little spark, throwing a touchdown pass to end his first drive, but overall his showing was not fantastic (12-for-23 for 102 yards, 16 rushing yards).
The Texans will take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night to kickoff Week 2, which would seem to point to Savage getting a chance to redeem himself on a short week. Head coach Bill O’Brien was, not surprisingly, unwilling to name a Week 2 starter immediately after Sunday’s game. But that appears to have changed on Monday morning.
At this point, the expectation is that the #Texans stick with rookie Deshaun Watson vs. the #Bengals. Still evaluating, but tough to go back
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 11, 2017
1st round pick Deshaun Watson has impressed the #Texans at every checkpoint. They think he’s a future star. The future may be right now.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 11, 2017
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport did add a potential injury complication to the decision to start Watson, especially since it is a short week for the Texans.
One complicating issue for the #Texans & their QB choice: Source says Deshaun Watson was spotted limping with an ankle injury. Short week.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 11, 2017
One differentiating factor for Watson over Savage is his running ability. So an ankle issue would at least make him hesitant to run, if not take way that element of his game all together with only three full days between games. Take away Watson as a runner and what do you probably have? Both Texans’ quarterbacks were sitting ducks behind an overmatched offensive line in Week 1, and that probably won’t change until left tackle Duane Brown ends his holdout. When pass protection inevitably breaks down, at least Watson offers some ability to escape the pocket.
Next: NFL Week 2: Odds for each game
It’s really only a matter of time before Watson is Houston’s starting quarterback this season, unless he is injured badly or Savage somehow morphs into a version of Tom Brady. But a short week feels like a bad time to make the switch, especially if Watson is not at full strength.