Texans Name Tyrod Taylor as Starting QB

No surprise: Texans name Tyrod Taylor QB1

HOUSTON -- It didn't qualify as a surprise at all, but Texans coach David Culley acknowledged the status of his starting quarterback Monday morning.

Tyrod Taylor is officially QB1 for an overhauled Texans team as the replacement for Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson, who remains on the roster and has a standing trade request and is facing 22 civil lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints and hasn't been charged with a crime.

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"Tyrod Taylor will start for us at quarterback for sure," Culley said during a press conference at NRG Stadium in advance of Sunday's season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. "He will start for us."

Culley praised Taylor's work ethic, emphasizing that he's routinely the first player to arrive and the last to leave

Taylor has an understated leadership style and is naturally quiet, but Culley said he's seen more of a vocal approach from the 11th-year quarterback, former Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl selection, and Baltimore Ravens sixth-round draft pick from Virginia Tech.

"I think those experiences have helped him be in a position to lead our football team," Culley said.

Signed to a one-year contract with a maximum value of $12.5 million on March 16, Taylor is a mobile passer with a calm demeanor and strong leadership qualities. If he’s feeling any stress in succeeding the NFL passing yardage leader from a year ago and one of the most dynamic players in the game, he certainly hasn’t shown it. If anything, Taylor exhibits a ton of poise.

“He's been around, he's been a starter, he's a consummate pro,” Culley said. “ I don't use that loosely. He's a consummate pro. He's the first guy in this building every morning.

“He's usually the last guy to leave, and that's every day. That's just who he is. You won't ever hear him a whole bunch talking about this or talking about that. He just goes about his business.”

Taylor lost his starting job last season when a Los Angeles Chargers team doctor accidentally punctured his lung while administering a pain-killing injection. That led to Justin Herbert replacing him and eventually emerging as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

As much as that hurt to lose that status, Taylor is reflective and upbeat in his perspective on what happened.

“I always say each year is a learning opportunity,” Taylor said. “Whether it's good or bad, you're able to in the offseason, you're able to reflect on the year previous and the years prior and working on how can you become a better player?

“How can you become a better student of the game? How can you be better overall? And reflect on all those things. I think the 10 years prior in professional football has definitely prepared me for the moment I have here, the opportunity I have here, but also the years of playing football as a youth.”

Taylor passed for 2,799 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions and rushed for 427 yards and four scores in 2017 in Buffalo with Culley on Sean McDermott’s coaching staff.

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Taylor has the third-lowest interception rate since 2011 with interceptions thrown on just 1.4 percent of his throws with 20 interceptions during a decade in the NFL. Taylor is a multidimensional passer who can beat defenses with his feet and his arm, rushing for 1,850 yards and 16 touchdowns and passing for 9,770 yards and 54 touchdowns.

“He’s been around the league, he’s a veteran,” Culley said. “He’s been there and he’s done that. He’s one of our guys right now, he’s been doing a nice job, he’s got a lot of experience.”

When Taylor initially joined the Texans, it wasn’t exactly clear how the offseason was going to unfold in terms of the Watson situation. However, Watson had already submitted a standing trade request this offseason due to displeasure with the organization after signing a $156 million contract extension last September and had privately told associates he had no intentions of ever playing another down for the Texans.

From the 2011 NFL draft, 12 quarterbacks were selected. That included Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Taylor, Nathan Enderle, T.J. Yates, Ricky Stanzi, Ryan Mallett, Greg McElroy, Colin Kaepernick, Christian Ponder, Blaine Gabbert, and Jake Locker.

From that group, only four are still playing: Taylor, Newton, Dalton, and Gabbert.

And Taylor, through these unique, unprecedented circumstances, is now the Texans’ starting quarterback.

“It's a wonderful opportunity,” Taylor said. “ Every time I get a chance to lace up my cleats and play the game that I started playing when I was 5 years old is a blessing. I don't take any day for granted.

“I'm excited to be able to go out and lead the group, to be able to go out and continue to make plays. It’s a joyful feeling to be able to go out on the field and compete. That's what I look forward to each day.”

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