Savage proves he’s up to task, but Watson solid

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — You could almost hear the disgruntled sighs escaping Texans fans in Houston all the way to Bank of America Stadium. It wasn’t a great start. Tom Savage was a mess on the first two drives of the Texans preseason opener against Carolina.

He was holding the ball for what felt like forever and was getting little help from the offensive line. He threw a couple incomplete pass, took a couple hits.

For the first few minutes of the

game, you had to wonder if the quarterback situation in Houston was once again going to be a big problem.

But by the third drive, everyone could relax.

Savage looked like a starting quarterback — a pretty good one — in the NFL.

He completed his next nine passes, went 9-of-11 for 69 yards and managed the offense with confidence and poise for the rest of the first quarter.

He found a rhythm, and the rest of the offense followed suit. Reliable option

Bill O’Brien has made it clear that Savage is the Texans starting quarterback.

In his first game action this year, he looked at ease in that position.

Savage hasn’t said much about being the starter since O’Brien announced it on the night the Texans drafted Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.

The chatter isn’t going to stop. Watson looked great in his debut on Wednesday night, completing 15 of 25 passes for 179 yards and rushing for a 15-yard touchdown. Many think the rookie should get a shot at starting.

It’s understandable. Watson is the shiny, new toy. He is exciting, intriguing and could be the franchise quarterback the Texans have yearned for for years.

But for now, Watson is learning, growing and improving. The Texans are invested in building him up. That leaves Savage. His teammates and coaches have commented on how hard he’s working. O’Brien has been complimentary of his presence in meetings. He’s worked well with the other quarterbacks — Watson and Brandon Weeden.

He joked at practice in West Virginia the other day that he hasn’t given many of the rookies on the team advice about playing in games because he’s only played in four regular season ones in his three years in the league.

On Wednesday night in a stadium that was splattered with Clemson fans waiting to see Watson, Savage stepped up.

He didn’t look amazing. There will be no Tom Brady comparisons any time soon.

But he did like a guy the Texans can rely on to keep getting better and to lead them when the season starts in a month. Watson excites

Heading into Wednesday night’s game, there were so many questions surrounding the quarterbacks.

All three have had good showings in camp, but seeing them on the field in Charlotte in a game setting answered some of those concerns.

Savage only played a quarter. That’s all O’Brien needed to see. There was no need to risk anything by keeping him out longer. He will continue to be the guy in camp and will get more reps in the upcoming preseason games — the next in Houston on Aug. 19 against the Patriots.

The fans cloaked in Clemson orange at the game Wednesday got to see plenty of Watson.

Watson has been a reason for excitement since the moment he was drafted No. 12 overall by the Texans in April.

In his first appearance with the Texans, he did not disappoint.

It didn’t take him long to calm down. And once he did, the athleticism, explosiveness and intelligence he displayed at Clemson was on display on the bigger stage.

Watson is the future of the Texans. And it’s bright.

As well as he played on Wednesday night, though, nothing has changed. Savage is the starter. He may not be all season, but he’s it for now. And that’s not a decision to scoff at. Ready now

Watson is going to be fun to watch. He’s only going to get better. His potential is through the roof already.

Savage is a good option now. He, too, will improve. But he’s ready to start now and gives the team time to work with their rookie.

Savage had a slow start Wednesday night. And for a few minutes, the quarterback woes that seem to hang over the Texans looked like they could be back.

But he quickly shook it off and found his way.

Right now, he’s the starter.

And on Wednesday night, it looked like that could work out for the Texans. jenny.creech@chron.com twitter.com/jennydialcreech