As the Texans commence their annual game of quarterback roulette, a team that made it to the league’s final eight in 2016 could be hard pressed to get back there -- especially with an offensive line that gave up 10 sacks against the 2017 Jaguars (not the 1985 Bears) in Week One. And one team that will benefit from the unexpected dysfunction in Houston is the Browns.
The Browns, thanks to the trade that allowed the Texans to draft Deshaun Watson, hold Houston’s first-round pick next year. The Browns, thanks to the hot-potato maneuver that allowed the Texans to unload the contract of Brock Osweiler, hold Houston’s second-round pick next year, too.
So the worse the Texans are this year, the better off the Browns will be next year. Which means that Cleveland fans should hold their noses, forget about the Sam Wyche snowball shade from 28 years ago, and root for the Bengals on Thursday night when they host the Texans.
Texans fans should root for coach Bill O’Brien to pick a horse and remain on it for the duration. For quarterbacks, leadership continues to be an underrated quality. Overlooked when it comes to leadership are the things teams do to help a quarterback properly lead.
The Texans quickly have tossed Tom Savage to the curb, handing the baton on the fly to Watson. So who’s the leader of the offense and the locker room? And how will Watson be able to thrive as the starter when most of the first-team reps went to Savage throughout the offseason, training camp, and the preseason?
It’s something the Texans will have to figure out on the fly, especially with the next game coming on Thursday night in Cincinnati. Against a Bengals team that the Browns should be supporting zealously, along with every other team that plays the Texans this year.