Houston Texans Comfortable With Tom Savage Starting
Conventional wisdom dictates that if a team has only two quarterbacks on their roster, they need to add at least one more. Since the Houston Texans missed out on Tony Romo, they will probably address the issue via the draft.
During an interview last Friday, Texans general manager Rick Smith admitted that they were going to draft a quarterback. However, he said he doesn't feel pressure to draft one in the first-round because he's comfortable with Tom Savage starting.
"I think he's proven that he understands this offense," Smith told reporters, according to ESPN. "I think he's proven that he can play at a high level in the offense," he added.
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Smith also said most rookie quarterbacks aren't ready for the starting role anyway when they enter the league since there's a steep learning curve.
"It's difficult to play quarterback Year 1 in this league. Because there's so many different things that a guy has to learn how to process that he didn't have to do, regardless of the offensive scheme that he played in," Smith stated during the interview.
It's rare that you can get a guy that can come in and play at a high level at the position early. But it's certainly possible," he continued.
Smith makes a great point. Dak Prescott's success as a rookie quarterback is the exception, not the rule. Tom Brady didn't even play much during his rookie season. And look at Jared Goff. He's obviously talented, but he struggled with the Los Angeles Rams last season. The bottom line is, quarterbacks need time to develop.
Savage has been with the Texans since 2014 and he already knows their system. He should be capable of starting. And if he struggles, Brandon Weeden will be there to back him up. Whoever they end up drafting will get the chance to play, just don't expect him to play like a veteran.
