Tom Savage’s 2017 season started with the hope that he’d be able to establish himself as a capable NFL starter for the Texans and that he could parlay that into a job somewhere else once the Texans turned to first-round pick Deshaun Watson.
That hope died at halftime of Week One as the Texans turned to Watson and Watson quickly made it clear that he was all the Texans hoped he’d be when they traded up for him in the draft. Savage’s return to the lineup after Watson’s torn ACL didn’t do anything to suggest that his foul start was an aberration as he committed a flurry of turnovers in a series of losses.
Last Sunday went a bit better. Savage threw for 365 yards and avoided turnovers until an interception at the end of the 24-13 loss to the Titans. That’s the first step in proving he’s not a “turnover machine,” which is important for a player without a job next year.
“I think all four years were an audition, even preseason,” Savage said, via the Houston Chronicle. “That’s just the way it is. It’s an audition for other teams and audition again for Houston. I have to take advantage of it, but, most importantly, I want to win. That’s the most important thing to me.”
Four more games along those lines might not convince anyone of Savage’s future as a starting quarterback, but it could convince someone that he’s not the worst option as a backup come 2018.