Before the 2013 season kicked off the Houston Texans were the favorites to win the AFC South and Super Bowl contenders. Now 13 weeks into the season not only are the Texans’ out of the playoff discussion, the only thing they are favored for now is finishing with the worst record in football and having the first overall pick.
Houston has dealt with plenty of problems this season, including injuries to star running back Arian Foster, linebacker Brian Cushing and safety Danieal Manning who all have been on injured reserve. The injuries mounted and the horrific play by Matt Schaub led to a change at quarterback. Case Keenum took over as the Texans’ starting quarterback when the team traveled to Kansas City in Week 7. He did well against a great Chiefs’ defense finishing with 271 passing yards and a touchdown. But despite the change at quarterback the Texans’ always find ways to lose.
The team has now lost 10 straight heading into their Thursday Night Football matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, with their last win coming in Week 2 when they beat the Tennessee Titans 30-24 in overtime. Thursday’s battle could decide who will be making the first pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. If the Texans don’t win another game this season, a lot of changes will be made. The Texans’ will face a tough decision especially at quarterback. Do they take a quarterback with the first overall pick, wait until the second round to find their quarterback or is Keenum the future of the franchise?
The Texans’ could choose to not take the quarterback route and take Jadeveon Clowney with the first overall pick. While Clowney wouldn’t fill a desired need, pairing the best defensive prospect in nearly a decade with J.J. Watt would create a nightmare situation for offensive coordinators to stop. When they tried to double team Watt, Clowney would obliterate his opponent on the opposite side and get free for the sack. They could then draft a quarterback in the second round like Johnny Manziel, and it would be the perfect fit. Manziel could stay at home in Texas and play for a Texans team that has a top defense bolstered by the selection of Clowney, and an offense with Foster in the backfield and wide receivers like Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins to work with. Houston would be the perfect landing spot for Manziel and set him up with the best chance to be a successful NFL quarterback. The Texans’ could still let Keenum battle for the starting job if Manziel wasn’t ready and would put themselves in nice position for the future.
Clowney is a special talent and pairing him with Watt would be a duo the NFL hasn’t seen in years. But the most important position on the field is the quarterback and the Texans can’t pass up on a chance to take Teddy Bridgewater. The 2014 quarterback class has been full of discussion but much of it has been centered on the SEC quarterbacks. The real gem of this year’s class is Bridgewater, and while he may play for the Louisville Cardinals there is no denying he is an elite prospect. He doesn’t have arm strength that wows you, but nobody is advanced as Bridgewater. He handles pressure perfectly, the ball placement on his passes is exceptional and he makes pre-snap recognitions that even some NFL quarterbacks don’t do. He needs to put on more weight at 200 lbs, in order to sustain the hits he will take in the NFL long-term but Bridgewater is more advanced than Robert Griffin III. The Texans’ would regret passing on him with the first overall pick.
Bridgewater would immediately become the Texans’ starting quarterback, surpassing Keenum and likely resulting in Schaub’s release. The Texans would then have the choice of either trading Keenum or keeping him as insurance and as the perfect backup quarterback. Houston could then spend the rest of its picks on improving the offensive line and helping a run defense that is giving up 116 yards per game this season. After filling more needs, Bridgewater would be in a great situation to turn the Texans around and back into a playoff team.
Keenum will have four more games to prove himself and potentially throw his name into the battle for the Texans’ 2014 quarterback job. He has done a nice job under the circumstances in six starts, throwing for nearly 1,500 yards with eight passing touchdowns to just three interceptions. But he is completing just 54.2 percent of his 190 pass attempts with his worst game coming in a 13-6 loss to the Jaguars. He will have his chance for revenge on Thursday but can he show enough to snap the Texans’ losing streak and make the front office believe he is the future? I just haven’t seen enough from him that would make me hand him the reigns for the 2014 quarterback gig and passing on a great quarterback prospect.