Virginia Tech football: Tyrod Taylor could be the starter for the Texans

Former Virginia Tech football star, Tyrod Taylor is in a unique situation with the Houston Texans this season. After a rough two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, Taylor was signed to be a proper backup for the Texans but now there may be a chance to start.

Virginia Tech football career

Taylor will be looking to get more playing time and he just might get that with the Houston Texans.

Tyrod came into Virginia Tech with a ton expected of him the moment he stepped onto campus. According to 247Sports, he was a five-star recruit as the top-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the nation, the top-ranked player in the state of Virginia, and the 17th ranked overall player in the country in 2007. Taylor exceeded those expectations by becoming the best quarterback to play for Virginia Tech since Michael Vick.

He made contributions during his freshman year by stepping in and using his superior athleticism. After a good showing, he split time in a rotating scheme with Sean Glennon for the remainder of his freshman season in 2007. He would end the season playing in 11 games, throwing for 927 yards and five touchdowns, and rushing for 429 yards and six touchdowns.

His sophomore season was a similar situation. Glennon started the season as the starter but struggled thus opening the door up, yet again, for Taylor. He played in 12 games, throwing for 2102 yards and 13 touchdowns, and rushing for 344 yards and four touchdowns. His sophomore season in 2009 would be his breakout season as he opened the season for Virginia Tech as the starter. He would finish his junior season with 2,220 yards passing and 13 touchdowns and 396 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Just like the rest of his Virginia Tech football career, he proved to be successful in his senior season. He finished his fourth year with 2,072 yards and 18 touchdowns in the passing game as well as 540 yards and four touchdowns rushing.

His 7,017 career passing yards are good for the second-best in school history. He finished his career with a 34-8 overall record and three ACC Championships to his name.

Journey to the NFL

After his successful college career, Taylor was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He spent four years with the Ravens as a backup to Joe Flacco. He would help the Ravens win their second Super Bowl title by winning Super Bowl XLVII.

In 2015, Taylor signed a three-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. He played in 44 games for the Bills completing 62% of his passes for 8,857 yards and 51 touchdowns during three seasons. He also had 1,575 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2015, he was selected to his first Pro Bowl as a replacement quarterback. He also led the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs for the first time since 1999 in 2017.

The Cleveland Browns traded for Taylor in 2018. He started the season as the starter but after getting hurt in Week 3 he lost the starting position to Baker Mayfield and never got the spot back.

In 2019, Taylor signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. He was Phillip Rivers’ backup during his first season in LA. The following season, Rivers went to the Indianapolis Colts which opened the door for Taylor to get the nod at the starting spot. In an extremely unlucky turn of events, his lung was punctured by the team doctor who was attempting to administer pain medicine for a rib injury in week 2. Justin Herbert became the starter for the Chargers for the rest of the season.

That brings us to this season, Taylor signed with the Houston Texans in March of 2021.

What to expect from Tyrod Taylor this season

Taylor signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans worth up to $12.5 million. His career has been quite unusual and extremely unlucky but he’s got a fresh start again, this time in Houston.

The Texans organization is struggling right now as they have key players departed and a ton of attention on what they will do with first-string Deshaun Watson. With the Watson situation still escalating, Taylor might be needed to step into the starting role when the season kicks off. Taylor has proven that he is a capable starter in the NFL and he can bring some experience to the quarterback room.

If he is the starter on day one, we could see Taylor return to his 2015 form. He’s a smart quarterback with a ton of athleticism and a lot of football still left in him.