Kaepernick To The Texans? Experts Think It's The Best Move

HOUSTON, TX — It didn't take long for Colin Kaepernick's name to surface following the season-ending ACL tear of Houston Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson last week. Though the Texans moved quickly to sign two new quarterbacks, pundits and experts around the country have outright declared the team needs to sign Kaepernick, a former Super Bowl quarterback who was the first to protest the national anthem during the 2016 preseason.

Former Texans starter Tom Savage took over the reins last Sunday in the team's 20-14 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Savage completed a meager 19-of-44 passes for 219 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. He was sacked twice for a total of 25 yards.

The voices grew louder for Kaepernick on a national stage that evening on NBC's Sunday Night Football when former coach Tony Dungy and former player Rodney Harrison both said the Texans should be the team to finally signed the quarterback who is still the epicenter of the growing protests by NFL players.

"Sign Colin Kaepernick," Dungy said. "You don't have good quarterback play. When you have a mobile quarterback, your offense looks different. There is a mobile quarterback out there to get."

"I agree with you," Harrison added. "As a player, I would lose all respect for my coaches and my organization if there was a guy out there that actually started a Super Bowl that is better than the guy that we have. How do you have confidence in your coach? How can you trust what your coach is trying to sell, the system that he is trying to sell, when he is not doing everything in his power to win football games?"

The problem, though, is that Deshaun Watson was playing out of his mind, and Kaepernick last year had been reduced to a backup role in San Francisco. Then there's the baggage he brings from the whole protest thing, even though he's declared he would stand for the anthem should an NFL team sign him.

Heck, if the Texans wanted to sign a mobile quarterback currently not on an NFL team and not starting material, then they could look for someone in their on backyard for someone who has running qualities, a moderate arm and will stand for the anthem to keep a fan base happy — two of them are former Heisman Trophy winners and the other a runner-up.

Johnny Manziel is a product of Kerrville Tivy and Texas A&M University. He won the 2012 Heisman Trophy and was drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Browns in 2014. He's seen the courtroom more often than he saw the end zone in the pros, but he's younger than Kaepernick and he could probably sell a heck of a lot of jerseys, even as a backup.

Robert Griffin III went to Copperas Cove High School and Baylor University. He won the 2011 Heisman Trophy and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2012. He began his career hot — throwing more touchdowns than interceptions — before becoming an injury-plagued signal caller whose career last saw time in Cleveland. If healthy, he's a noble decision in Houston.

Vince Young was the sleekest mobile quarterback in the 2006 draft after leading the Texas Longhorns to the 2005 national championship. He started his career with the Tennessee Titans and bee bopped around the league. Though teams have taken a chance on him, he's not seen the field in years. However, still trying to get in the league, the Houston native and Madison High alumni could retire in his hometown.

Top Image: This Jan. 1, 2017, file photo shows then San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick speaking at a news conference after the team's NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, Calif. NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart says the league expects Colin Kaepernick to be invited to the next meeting between owners and players to discuss social justice initiatives. Lockhart adds that the meeting probably will take place next week. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)