Brian Gaine and the Texans will leave no stone unturned in their pursuit to improve the roster.
But the new general manager is enthused about the starting quarterback position, and likes what he's seen so far out of Deshaun Watson.
"He's certainly a foundational piece for us in terms of what we can build around," Gaine said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference. "It certainly would be an advantage for any general manager coming into a team to have a quarterback in place that you believe in, that you know that can help you win football games."
Watson started six games in 2017, tossing 19 touchdowns while completing 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,699 yards. Gaine said the rookie signal-caller is a "talented young player", but an even "better person". Both descriptions are important to the new GM, and he explained why the off-field compliment is a key.
"It's the best compliment that I can give Deshaun, just going through the scouting process last year, as it relates getting to know the player, getting to know the prospect," Gaine said.
While Watson rehabs from a knee injury he suffered at the midseason point, Gaine and the Texans will look to surround him with more talent.
"When you have a quarterback in place that you believe in, that you think can help you win a lot of football games, you've got to start to put pieces around him and pieces in place to help him succeed on the field," Gaine said. "And that's not just with the perimeter players and the skill players, that will be with the offensive line. So it's certainly an area that we're going to evaluate heavily here."
Gaine, the scouting staff, and coaches will head to Mobile next week for the Reese's Senior Bowl practices and games.
