Houston Texans: Tyrod Taylor is an insurance policy at QB

The Houston Texans have added a second quarterback to their roster with the signing of free agent quarterback Tyrod Taylor on Tuesday. To be honest, this is a savvy move for the Texans because of the uncertainly with quarterback Deshaun Watson, and what final decision will come from the current disagreement.

It is unknown whether Deshaun Watson will be the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans once Week 1 arrives as he’s asked to be traded, bur one thing we do know right now is the Texans have an insurance policy of sorts with veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor now signed to the roster.

To be clear, Taylor isn’t Watson, but maybe Taylor is already a Top10 quarterback in Texans history without even throwing a pass. OK, that might be far-fetched — or is it — but for the 2021 season Taylor has a job in the NFL, and depending on the outcome of the Texans vs. Watson, Taylor might find himself as the starting quarterback for the franchise.

The Texans need some positive vibes around their facility right now, and this signing is a nice start to making sure the Texans can compete, just in case Watson does leave the team in ’21.

Speaking of positives, Taylor’s deal is nice for him, as the contract is for one year and could be worth $12.5 million.

Houston Texans: Tyrod Taylor had a very unique 2020 season

Remember last season Taylor was a Week 1 starter, but after an accident with the Los Angeles Chargers medical staff — a punctured lung — before the game in Week 2 he missed that game and the Justin Herbert era began. In the one game he played last season, Taylor was 16-of-30 for 208 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had seven yards rushing against the Cincinnati Bengals.

In learning more about the veteran quarterback, Taylor joined the NFL in 2011 as a sixth round pick, and in his career has thrown for 54 touchdowns and 20 interceptions, as he’s never thrown more than six interceptions in a single season.

Taylor’s most productive seasons were from 2015-17 with the Buffalo Bills as he played in 44 games, totaling 51 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. In those three seasons, Taylor also had completion percentages of 63.7 (242-380), 61.7 (269-436), and 62.6 (263-420).

Tyrod Taylor is not the very best quarterback in the league, but is a solid professional and with how things are going for the Texans right now, Taylor works out well as a member of the roster.

Again, with Taylor being some sort of insurance policy, Plan B, or just having a safety net at the backup quarterback spot, this signing works. It should be noted that most likely well all know soon enough if Taylor is going to be a starter at $12-plus million for one season, or if he’s going to be a well-paid backup quarterback as a decision about Watson will most likely come sooner rather than later.