The Texans will be in Carolina on Wednesday for their first preseason game of the year and coach Bill O’Brien confirmed on Monday that quarterback Tom Savage will be starting the game.
There wasn’t mystery surrounding that announcement. Savage has been the No. 1 quarterback since the start of the offseason and the team released a depth chart last week showing first-round pick Deshaun Watson on the second rung, leaving little for O’Brien to clear up outside of how much each player can expect to play against the Panthers.
O’Brien didn’t do that outside of saying that both Watson and third-stringer Brandon Weeden will see the field.
“You have no idea how the game’s going to play out,” O’Brien said, via the Houston Chronicle. “How long is this drive? How long is that drive? You have to play it by ear relative to how the game goes.”
In many cases, the starter would be making a cameo appearance in the preseason opener but Savage only has two NFL starts to his name so the Texans could take a different approach in order to get him ready for the regular season.