Virginia Tech football: Tyrod Taylor signs with the Houston Texans
Former Virginia Tech football star, Tyrod Taylor is heading to Texas.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Tyrod Taylor has signed a deal with the Texans for one year and worth up to $12.5 million.
Perhaps the most buzz in the offseason has been surrounding the Houston Texans, with Deshaun Watson wanting out and JJ Watt signing with the Arizona Cardinals.
It looks like Taylor will be the contingency plan for the Houston Texans while the Watson situation is still up in the air. Tyrod is a veteran quarterback who can step in and be a capable player in case Watson is traded or he chooses not to play.
The former Hokies standout has had a difficult NFL career, especially the last couple of years.
His NFL career started in 2011 when he was drafted in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens, where he would spend four seasons behind Joe Flacco. His time with the Ravens includes winning Super Bowl XLVII.
In 2015, he signed with the Buffalo Bills where it looked like he could establish himself as a starting quarterback. He would spend three seasons as the starting guy in Buffalo, and in 2017 he helped end the Bills playoff drought taking them to the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
His time in Buffalo would end in 2018 when he was traded to the Cleveland Browns. He was named the starter in Cleveland until suffering a concussion that led to Baker Mayfield taking over and the rest is history.
In 2019, he found himself on the move yet again. This time he would hit the West Coast joining the Los Angeles Chargers. In his first season in L.A., he was the backup to veteran Philip Rivers. In his second season there, he started the season again as a starter until some truly bad luck.
He suffered what was believed to be a rib injury in warmups during the second week of the season which threw Justin Herbert into the starting position. It would come out later that the team doctor punctured Taylor’s lung while giving him an injection for pain. Herbert stayed the starter for the rest of the season.
His career has been a rollercoaster, to say the least, and he’s been hit by a string of bad luck. I’m not sure that joining the Houston Texans won’t also bring bad luck given the situation there, but it could be a breath of fresh air. We don’t know how the Watson situation will unfold and while it seems that Taylor will be a backup, anything can happen.
If nothing else he can bring a ton of experience and leadership to the Texans quarterback room, and be an asset in whatever role he’s asked to fill.