The quarterback room in Houston is welcoming a new member. The Texans agreed to terms with free agent quarterback Joe Webb. Webb’s agent David Canter congratulated Webb on his contract on Twitter.
Now Webb is a player who can play all over the field. Whether it is under center or at the wide receiver position. What Webb provides the Texans is flexibility on offense. With Webb now in the fold the possibility that Bill O’Brien may draw up some trick plays is a definite possibility. If Houston were to come out with both Webb and Deshaun Watson on the field it may allow them to run a concept the defense is not expecting.
As it was addressed in a previous article, Webb is a mobile quarterback. The article stated that while Brandon Weeden can provide veteran leadership, a mobile backup quarterback is still needed in case Watson were to go down with an injury. Former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi shares the same mindset.
Smart move, dont have to change offenses if Watson has to come out and can play in the kicking game Texans signed QB Joe Webb, formerly of the Bills, to a one-year, $1.015 million contract.
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) April 5, 2018
The ability to run the same offensive schemes with a backup quarterback is a plus. For teams with traditional quarterbacks this is not an issue. However with a mobile quarterback the offense changes drastically and often stalls. This was the case with the Texans last season with Tom Savage and T.J. Yates seeing action.
What do the Texans get with Joe Webb?
Webb is a do everything jack of all trades type of guy. Webb can line up under center or split out wide as a receiver. There are even times that Webb can contribute on specials teams as he has experience returning kicks in his career.
In his career Webb has completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 888 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Webb has also rushed 50 times in his career for 326 yards and four touchdowns and has also caught eight passes for 61 yards.
In an emergency situation if Watson were to suffer another injury, Webb can easily step in and run the same style offense to keep the Texans in a game. This is a much better option than handing the keys to the offense to Weeden who is far from a mobile quarterback. Additionally this may shut down any rumors of the Texans targeting Lamar Jackson in the upcoming NFL Draft.