Virginia Tech Football: Houston is in good hands with Tyrod Taylor
In an expected move, David Culley named former Virginia Tech football star Tyrod Taylor the starter for the Houston Texans.
The move wasn’t surprising given all of the issues surrounding Deshaun Watson. Watson is still on the 53 man roster, but he’s expected to be a healthy scratch each week, and won’t see game time at all this season. With his legal issues as well as the bad blood between him and the organization, it’s unlikely we ever see him play for the Texans again.
Enter former Virginia Tech football stud, Tyrod Taylor. During the offseason, Taylor signed a one-year deal worth up to $12.5 million. When Taylor signed with the Texans, it was as an established backup, but now he finds himself the starter in Houston.
Taylor might be one of the unluckiest players in the NFL during his career, but now he’s got the chance to prove he’s still capable of being a starter in this league.
Ball Security
One constant with Taylor throughout his career has been the fact that he doesn’t turn it over. In 1392 attempts, he’s only thrown 20 interceptions in his career as opposed to 54 touchdowns. He’s extremely careful with the ball ensuring that he doesn’t turn it over in a bad spot.
This trait could be a negative one as well, however, though because he isn’t going to try and squeeze it into tight windows very often. He’s going to need help from his receivers to get open on the deep balls.
He’s also got the dual-threat capabilities, if a throw isn’t there he’s got no problem tucking it and running. In 72 games, he’s rushed for almost 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s a terrific athlete that will be a problem for opposing defenses. He’s also got players like Brandin Cooks, Mark Ingram, and Danny Amendola to help him out and take some pressure off of him.
Veteran Leadership
Taylor might not be a franchise quarterback, but he has lots of experience in big moments. He’s been in high-pressure situations before and succeeded, most notably in 2017 when he led the Buffalo Bills to their first playoff berth since 1999. He’s a quarterback that will be the leader for everyone no matter what role he’s asked to play. The Texans are in good hands with Taylor as QB1. He’s going to be someone that will pick this team up and do his best every week.
All of his weird circumstances have led him to Houston and this could be the season that he gets redemption and returns to his early-career form.