It was a tough decision, according to head coach Bill O'Brien.
Quarterback T.J. Yates is no longer a Texan, leaving three quarterbacks on the roster heading into training camp.
"We looked at that situation quite a bit, obviously," O'Brien said Wednesday. "We felt that in the best interest of the team that it was right to go with three quarterbacks at this time. We'll try to get as many reps as we could for those three guys over the next couple of days, including today and tomorrow. That is just the direction that we're headed. T.J. Yates, I have nothing but good things to say about him. He came in here and worked hard. He's a good pro. I'm sure he'll land somewhere."
O'Brien, who named Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starting quarterback on Tuesday, has yet to decide who will be his No. 2 quarterback between Case Keenum and rookie Tom Savage.
"I don't know if there's ever not pressure, or any less pressure," Keenum said. "We still have to go out and no matter what spot you are on the depth chart, you have to go earn that spot every day or try to strive for the next spot."
Yates tweeted out this message Tuesday night:
Can't thank the Texans organization and the city of Houston enough! We've had some great memories and I will always call Houston home. — T.J. Yates (@TJ_Yates) June 17, 2014
In his career with Houston, Yates saw action in 13 games. During the 2011 season, he started five regular season and two playoff games. He made his NFL debut after backup Matt Leinart was injured at Jacksonville on November 27, 2011. Yates earned Rookie of the Week honors two weeks later with his 300-yard, two-touchdown performance at Cincinnati. Last season, Yates saw action in three games, Baltimore, San Francisco, and St. Louis, completing 15-of-22 passes for 113 yards and two interceptions.
