Almost as soon as they traded next year’s first-round pick to move up to get Deshaun Watson, the Texans tried to make it clear that Tom Savage was entering camp as their starting quarterback.
Now, they’re leaving the door open for the rookie from Clemson to possibly win the starting job.
General Manager Rick Smith said during an interview on ESPN Radio that Watson will get his opportunity as well.
“We want to provide a competitive environment across the board. So [Watson will] compete,” Smith said. “[But] like I said, we feel good about Tom and his abilities to manage the offense. But yeah, [Watson] will come in, and just like every other guy on the roster, he’ll have time to play.”
The Texans have tried to manage expectations with Watson, and emphasize how they’d rather give him time to learn than run the risk of ruining him by playing him too early.
“Our mentality is that we try to create the most competitive environment possible, at every position,” Smith said. “So there are some things that Deshaun has to come in and learn — all these rookies. They’ve got to come in, and there’s so much that they don’t know about pro football.
“So he is in the class with the rest of those men when they report next week. There’s a lot for him to learn that way.”
To his credit, Watson has said all the right things since being drafted. And perhaps after learning their lesson about trying to force things with Brock Osweiler a year ago, the Texans will be patient with Watson.