Houston Texans: 4 free agents who need to return in 2020

3. A.J. McCarron (Quarterback)

Keeping A.J. McCarron on the roster would be a smart move because he knows the system, he won’t be causing any sort of quarterback issues and he knows well the role of being the top reserve quarterback on a team, as he’s made a career out of it.

McCarron doesn’t cost much to have on the roster, as his contract in ’19 was a base salary of $1.5 million with a $1.5 million signing bonus, so he made really good money for being the next in line for one of the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL, Deshaun Watson.

McCarron did make one start in the regular-season finale this past season in a game in which the Texans benched nearly every starter. Against the Tennessee Titans — who needed a win to make the playoffs — McCarron was 21-of-36 for 225 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Remember, though, in that rare start McCarron didn’t have DeAndre Hopkins to throw the football to, and the offense wasn’t the one Texans fans became accustomed to watching each week.

In wanting to re-sign McCarron to the roster, it would be for another one-year contract as the backup quarterback for the franchise. The Texans’ front office and decision makers must think a lot of McCarron because he had a training camp injury last year and still made the team easily.

It is always a good thing for teams to have a quarterback whom they know can step in and not make too many mistakes and who knows the system from top to bottom if needed quickly. McCarron seems to fit that mold perfectly, and the Texans would be safer in an emergency situation if they had McCarron on their sideline as the backup quarterback, because that isn’t a position on the team to overlook by any means.