The Houston Texans are looking to start a new chapter in their franchise with a new coaching staff led by DeMeco Ryan while also drafting C.J. Stroud second overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. The hope is that Stroud can be that cornerstone piece to their roster for the next decade and make the Texans competitive in the AFC South and the AFC as a whole.
The expectation is that Stroud should be the starter for most of the season as he gets familiar with playing at the NFL level. However, what if Stroud is forced to miss time during this season? The Texans have some options, both on the roster and in free agency, to step in as an emergency option if Stroud suffers an injury in 2023.
6 emergency QB options if the Houston Texans lose C.J. Stroud to injury in 2023
Case Keenum/Davis Mills
The obvious choice would be the quarterbacks that the Houston Texans have on the roster. They still have Davis Mills, who has been the starter the past two seasons and certainly did some good things that DeMeco Ryan's coaching staff should be confident they could win with him.
However, the more likely candidate to be the first quarterback onto the field to replace C.J. Stroud would be Case Keenum. The Texans signed the veteran quarterback this offseason after he spent last season with the Buffalo Bills.
Keenum is a journeyman and has played with a number of franchises over his career and shown to be a reliable backup that can step on the field at a moment's notice. The best example of this is in 2021 when he started two games in place of Baker Mayfield and would go 2-0 and would probably be the best candidate to be an emergency quarterback if C.J. Stroud misses any time in 2023.
Teddy Bridgewater
If the Houston Texans have any concerns with the quarterbacks on the roster and want to look outside the organization, they currently have a few options that could make sense. The best choice probably is Teddy Bridgewater, who recently was with the Miami Dolphins.
The former first-round pick began his career as the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings before suffering a major knee injury that cost him almost two full seasons. When he returned, Bridgewater moved around a bit with stops with the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Dolphins.
He has primarily been a backup during this time but has appeared in 48 games and started 37 games over that time frame. Bridgewater also has had a positive touchdown to interception ratio during that time with 47 passing touchdowns and only 25 interceptions. Bridgewater would be a good veteran addition that could manage this offense in Stroud's absence.
Joe Flacco
At 38 years old, Joe Flacco may be getting towards the end of his career but if he wants to return for his 16th season, the Houston Texans should consider him if they have a need at quarterback during the season. The long-time Baltimore Ravens quarterback has spent the past three seasons with the New York Jets and has surprisingly had to step in a lot during that period.
Over the past three seasons, Flacco has been the backup but has started nine games and appeared in 12 total games. During that period, the Jets haven't had much success as a team as they have a 1-8 record but their struggles aren't really due to Flacco's play.
In those 12 games, Flacco averaged 188 passing yards but threw 14 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. If the Texans are looking for an emergency quarterback they want to find one that is going to protect the ball and keep the offense on track and Joe Flacco at this stage of his career can absolutely do that.
Carson Wentz
At one time, Carson Wentz looked like he was going to be one of the top quarterbacks in the league and even finished third in MVP voting in 2017. However, injuries have been an issue for Wentz and he currently is a free agent.
The durability is certainly a concern and if the Texans find themselves in need of an emergency quarterback, it doesn't make a lot of sense to add another injury-prone quarterback. However, the upside of Wentz might be too appealing for them to pass up as he probably has the highest ceiling of all the quarterbacks on this list.
The past two seasons Wentz has actually played pretty well with an average of 209 passing yards per game in 2021 with the Indianapolis Colts with 27 passing touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He would be traded to the Commanders last offseason and while he appeared in only eight games he would average 219 passing yards per game with 11 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions.
If the Texans find themselves in the playoff race and want to go with a high-risk/high-reward quarterback, then Carson Wentz is probably their best bet.
Cam Newton
The final quarterback that could make sense if the Houston Texans need an emergency quarterback is a former MVP in Cam Newton. He didn't play in the NFL last season but is still hoping to continue his NFL career and before the NFL Draft even mentioned he would be willing to backup a number of quarterbacks, including C.J. Stroud.
The challenge for Cam Newton is the tape from the past two years that he played wasn't particularly good. In 2020, he would start 15 games for the Patriots throwing for 2,657 passing yards with eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions but was a threat running the ball with 12 rushing touchdowns.
In 2021, he would lose the starting job to Mac Jones and eventually end up back with the Carolina Panthers and appear in eight games with five starts. Once again was more of a threat running the ball with five rushing touchdowns while throwing only four touchdowns as well as five interceptions.
The return of Cam Newton would certainly draw headlines but the Texans would have to probably change up their offensive game plan and utilize more of a ground-and-pound approach than trying to move the ball through the air.