Backup power: Bringing aboard strong leader provides solid option should Watson depart

Tyrod Taylor is a very good football player.

Good arm, nice feet, intelligent and a heck of a team leader.

In a perfect world, Taylor would be a near perfect fit with the Texans as a backup quarterback to Deshaun Watson.

But as you know, the Texans’ world is anything but perfect.

With Watson’s status uncertain — he wants out of the relationship; the Texans ain’t too proud to beg and as of now refuse to let him go — the addition of Taylor is of some comfort as a

fallback option.

And oh yeah, if Watson decides to exercise his right not to play, the Texans won’t be in full panic mode.

As difficult as it is to find the bright side in what are seemingly such dark days, the Texans bringing in Taylor on Tuesday is another indicator that new general manager Nick Caserio knows what he is doing.

Exactly a year ago to the day, the Texans’ front office was doing the opposite.

In a trade that put their lack of football intelligence on full display, general manager Bill O’Brien and vice president of football operations Jack Easterby literally snatched DeAndre Hopkins’ name off the Texans Ring of Honor with an all-time befuddling trade.

While it is hard to stomach and has been nauseating at times, the Texans have come a long way in the last year. Further in the last month.

You’re probably thinking of where you’d like some of those associated with the organization to go, but this isn’t the column for that.

With a couple trades and a host of free-agent pickups, Caserio is doing his thing now. We’re seeing smart football moves that those who have seen his work up close with the Patriots over the years thought he would bring to the Texans.

Chairman Cal McNair said Caserio would have complete control over the roster, and the Texans’ moves the past few days indicate a football person is in charge. We haven’t been able to say that for a few years.

O’Brien was a football man, no doubt, but his partnership with Easterby made for an operation that was more personal. Feelings got in the way.

A player like Hopkins almost never becomes available because of what he delivers football-wise. The anniversary of a trade that netted the Texans just a second-round pick and an oft-injured running back who had one great season a few years ago will forever sting.

Caserio never would have approved such a move.

Other moves include the addition of several veterans who are taking a little less for short-term deals with the hopes of proving their worth. Such rolls of the dice can often help a team rebuild a depleted roster without breaking the bank.

With free agency just starting and the draft still to come, Caserio has work yet to do. Tuesday was a good day.

Taylor gets back with Texans coach David Culley, who was the quarterbacks coach at Buffalo when Taylor led the Bills to their first playoff game in 18 years.

New Texans quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton worked with Taylor last season with the Chargers. Taylor was the starter when the season began but was sidelined after a team doctor punctured his lung while giving him an injection.

The Texans signed Taylor to a deal that could be worth $12.5 million next season. In the NFL, “could be worth” numbers are slightly more valuable than lottery tickets.

Still, the Texans without question have placed a higher value on Taylor, who spent three full seasons as a starter with the Bills, than A.J. McCarron, Watson’s backup the previous two seasons.

McCarron, who has started only four games in his seven-year career, made a total of $7 million to watch Watson work and get yelled at by O’Brien at practice in 2019 and ’20.

Of course, the Texans would rather Taylor not have to take the field for meaningful snaps, but there were far worse options.

The Bears, after failing to talk the Seahawks into trading Russell Wilson and getting put on the blocked list by the Texans’ switchboard after calling to talk about Watson, agreed to a $10 million deal with Andy Dalton on Tuesday.

Washington signed former Texan — and former member of pretty much any team you can name — Ryan Fitzpatrick to a $10 million-$12 million agreement. (Officially, Washington is Fitzy Cent’s ninth team.)

With Taylor, the Texans are ahead of the pack in terms of a backup quarterback. They are ahead of almost all teams at starting quarterback, too. For now.

So yes, there is a bright side.