The Houston Texans have plenty of signal-callers, but nothing resembling a starter.
New coach Bill O'Brien told reporters on Tuesday that the team's quarterback competition remains "wide open" after the first day of OTAs, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.
While O'Brien praised free-agent addition Ryan Fitzpatrick's ability to pick up the new playbook, he emphasized that Case Keenum, T.J. Yates and rookie Tom Savage all have a chance to seize the top role. None of these men have finished an NFL season with a passer rating north of 83.3.
As of this writing, an online Chronicle poll showed readers heavily favoring Keenum -- last year's upstart -- over Fitzpatrick, with Savage and Yates bringing up the rear.
We also haven't ruled out the prospect of Houston dealing for Ryan Mallett, the Patriots' backup eternally mentioned in trade talks and a signal-caller O'Brien knows well from their time together in New England.
Texans fans would feel more at home if every name mentioned above was in the running for Houston's No. 2 spot behind an established franchise quarterback -- but that's something O'Brien lacks during his maiden NFL voyage.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" predicts 2014 starting lineups and talks insider goodness with Bucky Brooks.
