Houston Texans: Five players who exceeded expectations

Brian Hoyer, Quarterback

Don’t throw any stones yet, sure Brian Hoyer had an atrocious game in the post season by throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble as well. However, when signed during the offseason it looked as though the former Cleveland Browns starter would be sitting behind Ryan Mallett in Houston.

Instead, he won a quarterback competition against the younger passer in the preseason as head coach Bill O’Brien decided Hoyer was the guy. Then O’Brien got wishy-washy and yanked Hoyer on opening day, which was another turnover prone outing by Hoyer against the Chiefs. Hoyer managed to win the job back, and Mallett was eventually released.

Looking back at his signing, his benching, and of course the fact that his first ever throw as a Texan was an interception it’s a little surprising to see that Hoyer put up some decent numbers on the season.

In 11 games, Hoyer completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 2,606 yards with 19 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. He had a quarterback rating of 91.4, which was well above his career average which is in the low 80’s.

Overall, Hoyer played better than most expected and he helped the team stay competitive despite his horrible outings against Kansas City which sandwiched his season. The team may have a new starting quarterback in 2016, but if they don’t, Hoyer at least proved he can be a game manager until the Texans find their franchise guy.

Next: New position, great results