NFL Rumors: Texans Could Sign Colin Kaepernick After DeShaun Watson Suffers Season-Ending ACL Injury
The Houston Texans look like they will be without Deshaun Watson for the rest of the season, and now rumors are already swirling about who they might tap to take over — including the possibility of Colin Kaepernick returning to the NFL.
The Texans were rocked on Thursday afternoon when their breakout star quarterback suffered what is reported to be an ACL tear in practice. If true, Watson will be missing the rest of the 2017 season at the least (which is what a source has already told USA Today), and then facing a long recovery afterward.
But in the immediate term, it leaves a giant question mark at quarterback for the Houston Texans, who appeared to have found a franchise signal caller in Deshaun Watson. Prior to the rookie winning the starting job, the Texans struggled behind Tom Savage and have no third option on the roster at the moment.
With the Texans facing the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in an important AFC South matchup, they will likely need to find a quarterback that can at least sit the bench behind Savage while playing catch-up on the team’s offense. And with the NFL trade window just closing earlier this week, free agency appears to be the most likely route for the team.
Breaking: Texans fear Deshaun Watson suffered a torn ACL in practice today, per @RapSheet pic.twitter.com/he1irkq92N
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 2, 2017
That would leave the Houston Texans with a limited number of options, and Colin Kaepernick might be at the top of the list. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has been the top free agent since he opted out of his contract, but was passed over again and again. Proponents of Kaepernick claim that he is being blackballed for his national anthem protest, but that could soon come to an end out of sheer necessity.
If the Houston Texans do sign Colin Kaepernick, they would be getting a quarterback who can roughly fill the role that Watson has played. The Texans offense involves a lot of designed runs for Watson, who had rushed 36 times for 269 yards before his injury, good for 7.5 yards per rush. Kaepernick excelled in the play option with the 49ers, and could keep that component of the Texans’ offense intact if he were signed.
While there is still a lot of uncertainty about what the Houston Texans will do to fill the void after Deshaun Watson’s injury, Colin Kaepernick is a name that will likely keep popping up in the rumors until they make a decision.
[Featured Image by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images]
