Watson will draw first start Thursday
Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson is slated to start his first NFL game Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to sources not authorized to speak publicly.
Sources emphasized that Watson’s injured right ankle held up fine during practice Tuesday, removing the only potential obstacle to having the first-round draft pick make his starting debut at Paul Brown Stadium as the replacement for veteran Tom Savage.
During the portion of practice open to reporters, Watson took every snap.
The Texans are going with Watson for multiple reasons, including his superior mobility and elusiveness while operating behind a porous offensive line.
Although Watson was sacked
four times during Sunday’s 29-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and experienced some rough fundamental moments where he threw off his back foot, he did throw one touchdown pass and displayed an ability to escape pursuit. Although the AFC South franchise is poised to launch the Watson era, Texans coach Bill O’Brien played it close to the vest Tuesday and declined to make it official and name a starting quarterback.
“I don’t think there’s a rule that says I have to publicly announce it,” O’Brien said when asked if this was a potential game-time decision.
Unless Watson suffers a setback between now and kickoff, he’s schedule to start his first game since manufacturing a BCS national championship victory for Clemson over Alabama with a gamewinning touchdown pass.
“The health of any player is the first determinant in whether they play or not,” O’Brien said of Watson, who didn’t speak with reporters Tuesday.
After replacing Savage at halftime Sunday, Watson completed 12 of 23 passes for 102 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a 60.4 passer rating.
No secret to Bengals
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis already is convinced his defense will be competing against Watson.
“We’re kind of planning on it being Deshaun,” Lewis said during a conference call with Houston reporters. “Because if they made the change like they did at halftime, I would imagine it would be him coming forward here, at least this week.”
The first-round draft pick, consensus AllAmerican and member of a national champion completed 52.2 percent of his throws against Jacksonville and had a second interception nullified by a penalty. He rushed for 12 yards on two carries.
“He’s a playmaker with good instincts and he’s young,” Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan said. “He’s going to make some mistakes, and it’s on us to keep working with him and minimize his mistakes and get rid of them, not repeat them, and keep moving forward with him.”
Savage completed 7 of 13 passes for 62 yards and no interceptions against the Jaguars. Although he held the football too long occasionally, there was almost no time for him to run the plays. In some situations, he was hit almost immediately after taking the snap. The left side of the offensive line’s pass blocking was particularly substandard, and Savage fumbled twice.
Savage takes it in stride
Savage also was victimized by a handful of dropped, accurate passes, including a few by Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
“In the passing game, whenever there’s drops, incompletions, so many things go into it,” Ryan said. “It’s not always a perfect throw, and the receiver has to adjust and make a difficult catch. I think there’s a lot of things that go into it where we could be more accurate at times.
“That’s just part of it. I think Tom was like everybody else; there were times where Tom could have been better and times when everybody, we all shared responsibility in that.”
A former fourth-round draft pick from Pittsburgh, Savage is hoping he will get another chance. Injured in each of his first three NFL seasons, Savage had never been taken off the field before because of his performance or a lack of blocking.
“As long as we win, that’s the most important thing for me,” Savage said. “Obviously, I want to be out there.”
Talking at his locker before practice, Savage said he hadn’t been informed yet by O’Brien about the plan for Thursday night.
“No, I’m not waiting to have that conversation,” Savage said. “I don’t think he owes either of us any explanation. We just have to be ready.”
Unstable position
Savage has been supportive of Watson. As soon as he was benched, he began providing tips to the rookie.
“That’s part of being a professional,” Savage said. “I don’t feel like me wishing ill will on anyone else or not helping someone is going to help me get to where I want to get to. I’m a firm believer in the cream will always rise to the top and if you do your job and you do it right, you’ll be out there.”
Since the Texans hired O’Brien, the quarterback position has been defined by instability.
That includes a failed $72 million experiment with Brock Osweiler last season and a multitude of injuries in previous seasons.
The Texans have started Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett, T.J. Yates, Case Keenum, Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden, Osweiler and Savage. Watson becomes the ninth starting quarterback over the past four seasons.
O’Brien is hoping he won’t continue to have a revolving door under center.
“I can tell you that we’re pretty close to making a decision as to who’s going to play,” O’Brien said. “In this case, a lot of different factors go into it that aren’t really in our control, maybe. I think that we’ll make a good decision for the team.
“I try not to look too far into the future. It’s definitely, obviously, for Thursday, but you’re also saying you’re going to try your best to stick with the decision.”