Houston Texans Lose Ryan Fitzpatrick, Face Uncertainty at QB

The Houston Texans were dealt another blow to their Quarterback position on Sunday when Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered a fractured right leg while scrambling for yardage, putting an end to his season.  Rookie 4th Round pick Tom Savage out of Pitt took over for Fitzpatrick and displayed exactly what scouts pegged him as out of college: an exciting arm that needs more time to develop.

Fitzpatrick was enjoying the best season of his career statistically, with a 95.3 QB Rating and a six TD performance on November 30th against the Tennessee Titans.  Playing for his 6th NFL franchise at age 32, Ryan Fitzpatrick has always been a little too good to sit on the bench, but underwhelming as a starter in a league that thirsts for the mythical “Franchise Quarterback”.  Following a weaker stretch in his season, he was benched in Week 10 in favour of Ryan Mallett, who the Texans hoped to evaluate as part of their future at the position.

After waiting three seasons for the starting opportunity, Mallett’s stint was a heartbreaker, as he quickly suffered torn pectoral muscles that ended his season prematurely, thus handing the job back to Fitzpatrick.  Now, with both men down, Tom Savage is the next man up, and if he is able to overcome a knee injury of his own (which could be a big “if”), he’ll have two weeks to state his case.

Selected 135th Overall, Savage can sling the football to any area of the field.  Arm talent should never be an issue with him, as he showed on a gorgeous deep pass to DeAndre Hopkins on Sunday.  As with almost any strong-armed QB selected late, however, Savage still has considerable development ahead of him mentally.

The moment did seem a bit large for Tom Savage when he took over for Fitzpatrick, but I hesitate to blame him.  He could not have expected to see the field at all in 2014, let alone to be thrown into the middle of a Week 15 game with playoff implications.

Savage’s college career was unique because he was inactive for two seasons prior to his draft year.  Beginning his career at Rutgers, he lost his 2011 season while transferring to Arizona.  Displeased with a coaching change at Arizona the following season, Savage sought out a more suitable offense and again transferred to Pitt, which would cost him his 2012 season.  In total, he attempted 757 college passes, but only 389 since the conclusion of his 2010 season.

So, where does this leave the Houston Texans now?  Ryan Mallett is a Free Agent this offseason, while Ryan Fitzpatrick has one year remaining on his 2-year, $7.5M contract, and could be fully recovered by Training Camp.  Unless Savage shocks the football world, I can’t see him being in the conversation for the 2015 starting job.  Two more seasons of development under Bill O’Brien, who I think is doing an incredible job, could do Savage wonders.

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Texans fans want resolve at Quarterback now, however, not down the road.  The position has been stagnant since the team was born, and finding that true franchise QB could hold even greater value for the Texans in the next 1-3 seasons.  Arian Foster will not be around forever, nor will Andre Johnson, who may be disinterested in rebuilding the offense around another Rookie.  With Jadeveon Clowney hopeful to be at 100% next year across from the All-World J.J. Watt, the defense could be dominant as well.  The pieces are in place, and the time is now.

For the next two weeks, the best-case scenario for the Houston Texans is a healthy Tom Savage playing two complete football games.  At this time in the season, for teams unlikely to make the playoffs, the opportunity to assess young players in Regular Season NFL action is invaluable.

Don’t be surprised to see the Houston Texans make every effort to bring back Ryan Mallett if they do not plan on addressing the QB position early in the draft.  Handing the keys to Mallett does involve a lot of “hope”, something that doesn’t always work out at football’s more important position, but the Texans seemed impressed with what Mallett has to offer.  Keep in mind, though, that another season of Ryan Fitzpatrick is possible, and far from disastrous.

—UPDATE: 4:00 ET—-  It looks like Tom Savage’s opportunity will be delayed by injury.  

— Let’s hear your take, Texans fans.  Will one of these in-house options be under centre on opening day, or will the Houston Texans be aggressive in their search of a franchise QB?