Houston Texans: Five players who exceeded expectations

Brandon Weeden, Quarterback

Quarterback Brandon Weeden had a roller coaster season in 2015. He started the year with the Dallas Cowboys and was thrown into action in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles when starting quarterback Tony Romo broke his collarbone. In that game, Weeden looked as sharp as any backup quarterback has ever looked.

Weeden went 7-of-7 passing for 73 yards and a touchdown. He then started the next three games and still performed rather well, especially when considering the team was missing another star player as receiver Dez Bryant had a broken foot and he had to hand the ball off to a man who likes to steal underwear in Joseph Randle (who is not even on an NFL team now).

The team was awful, and Weeden took all the blame as they dropped three games in a row, and he was cut in favor of journeyman Matt Cassel. The Cowboys poor decision was the Texans gain, as Cassel won as many games as a starter for Dallas as Weeden did for the Texans, one.

Of course, Weeden only had one start so his winning percentage for Houston was as good as it gets. He led the team to a 34-6 beat down of the Tennessee Titans, but his biggest contribution came the week before during the franchise’s first ever win in Indianapolis.

After starter T.J. Yates (who was filling in for Brian Hoyer) went down with a torn ACL, Weeden stepped in just one month after joining the team. Against the Colts the newest Texans passer went 11-of-18 for 105 yards and threw a fourth-quarter touchdown that put the team up for good.

While his time with the team was short, his impact was not. He was claimed for depth purposes, but wound up helping the team win two crucial AFC South games as they clinched the title down the stretch.

Next: An unpopular name in Houston