There are no question marks at starting quarterback for the Houston Texans.
Deshaun Watson has that title locked up after what he and the offense accomplished the first half of last fall.
This time a year ago, Tom Savage was the starter. He knew it, head coach Bill O'Brien knew it, and Watson knew it.
But Savage entered last season with a grand total of two career starts and five games played. He got time under center in OTAs, minicamp, training camp and the preseason as the starter, before eventually ceding the job to Watson in the second half of the season-opener.
Having Watson cemented as the starter is a luxury for O'Brien as the Texans head to training camp at The Greenbrier in West Virginia later this month.
"No doubt," O'Brien said. "You know how the reps are going to be divided. You've already had a year in the meeting room and more than that, really, because you've had a year and then the nine-week offseason program. So, you've had a lot of time."
That time has been beneficial for Watson, who pointed out how getting the first-team reps has helped him, the offense, and the team as a whole.
"Of course being the starter, coming into the offseason and into a new season and being able to lead guys around me and continue to take their games to another level as I take mine," Watson said.
Watson and O'Brien now have over a year of working together and are optimistic about what can be accomplished. And it's easier now knowing for sure that the 2017 first-rounder is the trigger man on offense, as opposed to this time last summer.
"You're not wasting time getting to know each other," O'Brien said. "You know what the expectations are. I know what he expects from me, and he knows what I expect from him. There's a lot to be said for getting into more of a normal routine, no doubt about it."
O'Brien, Watson and the Texans begin practice on July 26.
