Would Texans Consider Brian Hoyer for Veteran QB Depth?

Brian Hoyer, who is expected to be released by the New England Patriots in the coming days, may be a veteran option to help mentor the Houston Texans stable of young quarterbacks.

The Houston Texans quarterback room is likely to look drastically different in 2023. 

With a new head coach, DeMeco Ryans, set to make an early impact on the franchise, finding the proper arm to guide his offense is of the utmost importance. 

Houston could opt for the veteran free agent route. However, it is likely that they will pursue a top-level talent in the upcoming NFL Draft to compete with incumbent starter Davis Mills. 

With reserve Jeff Driskel and Kyle Allen headed for free agency, the Texans may be wise to look in the direction of a potential mentor for either Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud — both of whom are heavily rumored to be on Houston’s draft radar. 

Enter former Texan Brian Hoyer? 

Per a Sirius XM report from Saturday morning, the New England Patriots will release quarterback Brian Hoyer before the league year begins on March 15.

Hoyer, who spent one season with the Texans in 2015, maybe a He had the most successful individual season of his career with Houston, having completed 224 of 369 passes for 2606 yards and 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

Still, Hoyer’s tenure in Houston was not without its ebb and flow. He led the Texans to their first playoff berth and AFC South title since 2012 with a 30–6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

However, Hoyer performed dismally in the Texans' lone Wild Card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in which he connected on only 15 passes for 136 yards and four interceptions.  

In addition to his single season in Houston, Hoyer spent eight seasons with New England, as well as brief stints with several other NFL clubs including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns (for whom he started 16 games over a two-year period), Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts.  

Hoyer began his pro career by signing with the Patriots as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Michigan State in 2009. 

As such, he spent his first three seasons as the backup to starter Tom Brady. During his second tour of duty with New England, he earned a championship ring via the Patriots’ victory in Super Bowl LIII. 

Hoyer entered the 2022 season as one of two reserve quarterbacks on the Pats roster along with rookie Bailey Zappe. In the aftermath of starter Mac Jones’ ankle injury, Hoyer was initially named the team’s temporary top signal-caller. 

Unfortunately, he suffered a concussion after completing only five passes in New England’s Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers and spent the remainder of the year on injured reserve.

It should be noted that Hoyer has a longstanding working relationship with Texans general manager Nick Caserio, due to their shared time in New England. 

Though his best days on the field are behind him, his expertise in mentoring inexperienced quarterbacks gives him potential value with Houston; especially in light of the team’s numerous coaching changes. Hoyer is also outstanding in running the scout team during training camp practices, as well as throughout the season. 

Though Hoyer will not be a game changer, he may be worth the consideration as a veteran option to help develop their young talent at the quarterback position. 

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL.

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