DeAndre Hopkins Wants Tom Savage, Not Deshaun Watson, At QB For The Houston Texans

The Houston Texans quarterback situation is one of the more fascinating position battles in the NFL this summer. The franchise traded up to No. 12 in the 2017 NFL Draft to select Clemson signal-caller Deshaun Watson, but most projections have Tom Savage opening the season under center. On Friday, star receiver DeAndre Hopkins weighed in with his choice at quarterback.

Hopkins fully endorsed Savage for the position and didn’t seem to have any hesitation in doing so. Here’s what he had to say:

"“If anybody should be a judge of quarterbacks, I’ve played with the most quarterbacks in NFL history throughout my first four years. So I put the stamp on Savage, and I think that’s all that needs to be said about that."

He continued:

"“I’ve played with at least 10 quarterbacks. So because of what (Savage) does well and what he can do for this team, I know he can help us win what we want to win. He does everything well. He’s a student of the game, from just being on the bench, watching and learning from other people’s mistakes, seeing what they’ve done wrong. He can put the ball in any place. He has a strong arm. He has a knowledge of this offense. He’s been in this offense his whole career.”"

Savage has spent three years with the Texans after they drafted him in the fourth round out of Pitt in 2014. He has played in just five games during his career, and made only two starts. Last year in three games he completed 63 percent of his passes for 461 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. It was an uninspiring showing.

The thing is, Savage has been in Houston since 2014 and if the team saw the makings of a good starting quarterback, wouldn’t he have been playing by now? Why wouldn’t the Texans have handed him the job last offseason instead of investing in Brock Osweiler’s absurd contract? If Savage was worthy of being the franchise’s long-term quarterback, why did they trade up for Watson, surrendering their 2018 first-rounder in the process? It’s clear the franchise doesn’t view Savage as a long-term answer.

Hopkins is being loyal to the guy he knows and, like many in Houston, he feels like the team can contend in the AFC this year. A contending team is almost never the place for a rookie quarterback to learn, and that’s working against the 21-year-old Watson.

We’ll see how this plays out, but if Hopkins gets his way, Savage will be under center in Houston this year.