Houston Texans Add Garcia to Depth Chart
The Houston Texans, decimated by injuries at key positions, has signed veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia to help the team with a final playoff push.
The Houston Texans are having their best season since entering the NFL in 2002. Things are finally going their way as the Manning-less Colts are plummeting and the Jaguars enter a state of flux with a head coach change. No other team in the AFC South can legitimately challenge them.
However, the Texans have battled injuries this year, losing pro-bowl quarterback, Matt Schaub for the season, as well as defensive stud, Mario Williams. Their dominant wide-receiver, Andre Johnson has missed a lot of time. They also lost their back-up quarterback, Matt Lienhart to a season-ending injury soon after losing their starter.
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In order to keep their most successful season yet from getting out of control, they signed 41-year-old QB, Jeff Garcia on Wednesday. They also signed 36-year-old Jake Delhomme and released Kellen Clemmons to make room for the two on the depth chart.
Garcia, who played for the 49ers, Raiders, Eagles, Buccaneers, Browns and Raiders, has thrown 161 touchdowns vs. 83 interceptions. He has 25, 537 passing yards and a QB rating of 87.5. He also played in the UFL in 2010. He is a four-time pro bowler and had his best season in 2000 with the 49ers. He threw for 4,278 yards, which is a 49ers record, and 31 touchdown passes. He last played on an NFL team in 2009 for the Eagles, spelling an injured Donovan McNabb.
Garcia will add leadership, experience and a winning attitude to an already good Texans team. Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates is the current starter, after moving up the depth chart from third string. He is 1-0 as a starter after throwing for 258 yards and one touchdown against the Falcons. However, going into the last month of the regular season and playoffs, the Texans will need more production from the quarterback position.
It is unclear how soon Garcia will start or if he will. But the move adds depth to the quarterback position and Garcia can be productive if things don’t work out with T.J. Yates. The Texans do have a superior running game (3rd in the NFL) to lean on while they figure out their quarterback situation.
