The Houston Texans aren't done collecting quarterbacks. The Texans picked up Brandon Weeden off the waiver wire Wednesday, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. The Dallas Cowboys released Weeden Tuesday after he failed to win the three games he started in place of Tony Romo and was benched in favor of Matt Cassel last month.
Texans claim Brandon Weeden the day after Cowboys release him
Houston’s starting quarterback Brian Hoyer is expected to be inactive this week with a concussion.
Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
Though Weeden hasn't done a lot of winning lately -- in fact, he's on an 11-game losing streak as a stater -- he's a warm body who can stand under center on game day, which the Texans desperately need. Brian Hoyer hasn't been cleared to return after he exited Monday night's contest against the Cincinnati Bengals with a concussion. That leaves T.J. Yates as the only healthy quarterback on the active roster, though Zac Dysert is on the practice squad.
Despite their quarterbacking woes, the 4-5 Texans are tied with the Indianapolis Colts atop the moribund AFC South. Yates led Houston to an ugly 10-6 win over the Bengals Monday after he took over for Hoyer, completing 5 of 11 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown. His best throw came at the start of the fourth quarter when he connected with DeAndre Hopkins on a 22-yard TD to give the Texans the lead.
But with Hoyer likely out of action Sunday, Houston had little choice but to pick up an additional quarterback this week. And unfortunately for them, Weeden was arguably the best option out there.
In four games with the Cowboys this season, Weeden completed 72.4 percent of his passes. He only threw for 739 yards, though, which means that his high completion percentage may have been inflated by a lot of short passes underneath. Weeden threw just two touchdown passes in Romo's absence. In four NFL seasons, Weeden has gone 5-19 as a starter since the Cleveland Browns selected him with the 22nd pick in the 2012 draft.
The Texans currently rank 26th in points per game and are slated to face the stout New York Jets defense Sunday. The 5-4 Jets have allowed the ninth-fewest points in the league this season and are fourth in takeaways. Their offense, which is led by former Texans QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, is 12th in points scored per game.
Given that Weeden wasn’t signed until Wednesday, Yates is expected to receive the start this week as Hoyer recovers from his concussion. But given Bill O’Brien’s propensity to cycle through quarterbacks, he better be ready. If Weeden does receive a start for the Texans after Yates gets his turn, then Weeden would be the sixth different starting quarterback O’Brien has worked with over the last two seasons.
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