Tyrod Taylor retreated in the pocket and delivered a textbook spiral Thursday afternoon, displaying the practiced motions of a former Pro Bowl quarterback one decade into his NFL career.
The certainty of his movements during an organized team activity mirrored how Taylor approaches his status as the Texans’ new starting quarterback and the de facto replacement for embattled Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Signed to a one-year contract with a maximum value of $12.5 million on March 16 hours before Houston attorney Tony Buzbee filed the first of 22 lawsuits against Watson alleging sexual misconduct, Taylor spoke with confidence during his first meeting with Houston reporters since joining the AFC South club.
If Taylor, a mobile former Baltimore Ravens sixth-round draft pick with a calm demeanor and strong leadership qualities, is feeling any stress in succeeding the NFL passing yardage leader from a year ago and one of the most dynamic players in the game, he certainly didn’t show it when asked about stepping in for Watson.
“As far as the pressure thing, the pressure question, I don’t think anyone will put more pressure on myself than me,” Taylor said. “I have high expectations for myself. I hold myself to a certain standard, so coming out each and every day and performing at a high level is where the standard is.
“Of course, yes, Deshaun played at a very high level and has played at a very high level throughout his career. I’ve been a fan of his and I know him personally, but the opportunity to be able to start here is something that I look forward to.”
Of course, when Taylor, 31, initially joined the Texans, it wasn’t exactly clear how the offseason was going to unfold in terms of the Watson situation. Watson had already submitted a standing trade request this offseason due to displeasure with the organization after signing a $156 million contract extension last September and had privately told associates he had no intentions of ever playing another down for the Texans.
Watson is, as expected, not attending organized team activities and is training independently with a private trainer. He is not expected to attend a mandatory minicamp, too, and could wind up being excused to avoid having to fine him. The other three quarterbacks on the roster are Taylor, third-round draft pick Davis Mills, whom the team believes has a bright future, and Jeff Driskel.
Taylor lot his starting job last season when a Los Angeles Chargers team doctor accidentally punctured his lung while administering a pain-killing injection. That led to Justin Herbert replacing him and eventually emerging as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Taylor wasn’t blind to the Watson situation. The legal matter made it even more unlikely he’ll ever play for the Texans again, though, as interested teams await the outcome of his civil litigation (Watson is represented by attorney Rusty Hardin and has denied wrongdoing), a Houston Police Department investigation and a parallel NFL investigation led by Lisa Friel that could lead to discipline from the league.
“Honestly, I was not for sure about that,” Taylor said when asked if he thought he was walking into a starting job when he initially signed. “I just knew it was an opportunity for me to be able to showcase what I can do. Since I came into the league, I’ve always treated the job, and I think every quarterback should approach it this way, is just to prepare as the starter because at our position, you’re one play away. You never know when that opportunity will come.”
Taylor joined the Texans partially after his agent, Adisa Bakari, negotiated a deal with general manager Nick Caserio because of his familiarity with the Texans’ coaching staff. Texans coach David Culley was his position coach with the Buffalo Bills. And Texans quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton was his position coach last season with the Chargers.
“There’s a comfort level there,” Culley said. “He knows what we’re all about, he knows how we go about things, he knows what we expect. That’s important because he has a comfort level with us, and we have a comfort level with him.
“We didn’t have but one quarterback on the roster at that time signed, so we were going to go out and Nick and his staff went out, and we were going to sign some more guys to the roster that we needed to have. Tyrod was available. He had some other places to go. He chose here simply because he’s familiar with Pep, he’s familiar with me, he’s familiar with what we’re all about. It’s fit in just perfectly for us.”
Culley was complimentary about Taylor, expressing confidence that he’s doing everything he needs to get up to speed on a new offense.
“Yes, he is,” Culley said. “The thing about him is he’s been in all of the Zoom meetings, so it’s not like he doesn’t know where we’re at or what we’re doing at this point. It’s just recently we just got him on the field, and you can tell by what we’ve seen on the field that he’s been listening, he’s been picking up the offense. I feel like from what we’ve seen out there the last few days that he is right where we feel like he should be.”
Taylor passed for 2,799 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions and rushed for 427 yards and four scores in 2017 in Buffalo with Culley on Sean McDermott’s coaching staff.
Taylor has the third-lowest interception rate since 2011 with interceptions thrown on just 1.4 percent of his throws with 20 interceptions during a decade in the NFL. Taylor is a multidimensional passer who can beat defenses with his feet and his arm, rushing for 1,850 yards and 16 touchdowns and passing for 9,770 yards and 54 touchdowns.
“Of course, being able to extend plays is definitely something that is a strength of mine,” Taylor said. “But I think just over the years I’ve learned just more patience in the pocket. Getting the ball out of my hands, understanding the game as a whole from the quarterback position, protections, being able to protect yourself. I’m as healthy as I’ve ever been and excited to see what I can do in this offense. Looking forward to playing alongside a lot of the great talent that we have on the field.”
Taylor backed up Joe Flacco on the Ravens' Super Bowl-winning team in 2012. Taylor made the Pro Bowl in 2015 with the Bills before being traded to Cleveland in 2018.
Taylor earned the starting job with the Browns and Chargers, but got hurt and was replaced by Baker Mayfield in Cleveland. Then, Taylor was replaced by Herbert last season due to the rib injury.
As frustrating as that experience was, Taylor has turned the page.
“For sure, I definitely use it as a motivation,” Taylor said. “There’s no bad feeling towards like whatever happened in the past. You learn from it, you move forward. I don’t believe in holding on to things. I’m more so thankful and grateful for the opportunity to be able to lace the cleats up, put the helmet on and go out and make plays. It starts of course this time of year and then will carry on into the season.
“Last year was tough to process for a little bit, but it’s the reality of our game. You have to take the punches and keep rolling. I’m more grateful than ever and just excited for the opportunity.”
Taylor definitely had a good case for medical malpractice last year. The NFL Players Association investigated the situation and considered filing a grievance after the Virginia native took a painkilling injection in full pads shortly before kickoff. The medical mishap cost him his starting job.
“Certain things I can’t talk about, let’s just say that,” Taylor said. “As far as the grievance, I didn’t agree necessarily with the NFLPA and what their grievance actually stood for. That’s why I didn’t choose to file a grievance through the NFLPA. But yeah, certain things I just can’t elaborate on. Maybe at some point I can elaborate on it.”
When Taylor was playing for Culley, he was benched for one game and the Bills inserted rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman. Peterman was dramatically unprepared and that was exposed as he threw five interceptions. One week later, Taylor was back in the starting lineup and led Buffalo to a playoff appearance for the first time in 18 years.
What did Culley learn about Taylor from that experience?
“That he’s a professional through and through,” he said. “He didn’t like it. No one would have, but he handled it like a pro’s supposed to handle it, like a guy with class would handle things. And then basically, the very next week he was back in the lineup and was able to help lead us to the playoffs because of that. That just goes to show the professionalism he has and the experience that he’s been around, and it worked out for everybody involved.”
Taylor is known for his careful, often cautious approach as he avoids interceptions and doesn’t take a lot of risks. The Texans drafted Mills, and Taylor could be mentoring his potential successor again, as he did in Cleveland with Mayfield and Los Angeles with Herbert.
“Of course, just be yourself,” Taylor said. “Go in each and every day to lead in your own way. I don’t hide any information. If there’s something that I can share with the younger guy, younger quarterback, younger whatever position it is, then I share it. I’ve been big on focusing on myself.
“You can’t worry about outside factors. You have to, each and every day, bring your A game and your best self to the building and go out there and lead by example, and everything else will fall in line how it’s supposed to.”
However this season unfolds, the Texans are grateful to have Taylor to steady a franchise in flux after a tumultuous offseason at the quarterback position following a 4-12 nosedive after two consecutive AFC South division titles.
“His leadership and his experience in the league is invaluable,” Culley said. “ It’s invaluable for not only just those guys at the quarterback position, but just for the guys on this football team in general. He’s been there and done that and he knows what winning looks like. He knows what winning’s supposed to be like. He knows the process that you have to go through and that’s what he brings to not only that room but to this football team.”
Taylor has a sterling reputation for his professionalism and for remaining calm in the face of adversity. That trait and his perseverance have served him well since he entered the league in 2011.
“To explain it, it’s been a blessing,” Taylor said. “I think that I’ve used everything that has happened to me throughout my college career, professional career, and I think that those experiences have prepared me for the opportunity that I have now, which allows me to go out each and every day at peace mentally, but to compete and have a smile on my face. You learn from those experiences, you move forward, you stay in a positive attitude.
"I think that’s what’s kept me with the right mindset to be able to persevere through the things that have happened to me throughout my career. It hasn’t been all great, it hasn’t been bad. I don’t know how you would describe it. I know that when it comes to the NFL, I’ve been a winner in this league. Yes, I’ve had trials and tribulations, but it’s part of the game.”
From the 2011 NFL draft, 12 quarterbacks were selected. That included Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Taylor, Nathan Enderle, T.J. Yates, Ricky Stanzi, Ryan Mallett, Greg McElroy, Colin Kaepernick, Christian Ponder, Blaine Gabbert and Jake Locker.
From that group, only four are still playing: Taylor, Newton, Dalton and Gabbert.
“It means everything to me,” Taylor said. “That’s why I’m excited the way that I am. They say the average NFL career is three years. If you probably go back and look at my draft card, no one probably would’ve predicted I would be one of the four quarterbacks that were drafted that year that are still in this league.
“I know what I can do. I know what I’ve done in this league and I know the players respect it and know what I can do, but each and every day it’s my job and it’s my duty to be able to show them and to show the coaches and when we get a chance to start playing against other teams, to show them as well.”
Aaron Wilson has covered the NFL for 20 seasons, including the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He has previously written for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. He’s on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL and Instagram: @aaronwilson7128.