Is It Officially Time for the Houston Texans to Make a QB Switch?

After sticking with Ryan Fitzpatrick for seven games—in which the Houston Texans have gone 3-4—coach Bill O'Brien likely wouldn't face much scrutiny if he decided to give Ryan Mallet a chance at quarterback.

Fitzpatrick, who signed a two-year deal with the Texans in March, was never meant to be more than an intermediary, while O'Brien used his touted quarterback development skills to groom Houston's passer of the future. It's unclear whether 2014 fourth-round pick Tom Savage will pan out and become that franchise quarterback, but that's a question for another time. 

The question of the present, however, is whether O'Brien is ready to start Mallet. It seemed like a distinct possibility based on comments O'Brien made in his pregame press conference on Friday and, after the ineffective performance Fitzpatrick turned in Monday night, could become a reality in Week 8. 

Fitzpatrick didn't have his worst game of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but, in what has become a concerning pattern, he did throw an interception, his sixth of the season. Pittsburgh scored two plays after the pick and never gave up the lead.

O'Brien last week praised Mallet's "fantastic arm" and said "he's definitely where we want him to be," noting that the transition was easier for him because he was already familiar with the offense. Mallet worked with O'Brien in New England when he was the Patriots' offensive coordinator in 2011. 

"He has good command out there, both in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage," O'Brien said of the former Arkansas Razorback. "He's working to be more consistent on a day-to-day basis with throwing the ball and with accuracy."

The obvious challenge to a midseason quarterback switch for the Houston Texans is whether Mallet stepping in for Fitzpatrick would really accomplish anything significant, and it's a valid one.

This is an offense operating behind an offensive line that Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranks as the league's 25th-best unit, having allowed 54 total pressures on 184 passing plays prior to Monday night's game. 

The Texans are also not built to heavily feature the pass; heading into Week 7 they had 161 passing attempts on the season, by far the fewest in the league.

While that dynamic would likely change if an Andrew Luck or even a Tony Romo walked into the Texans locker room tomorrow, it's unlikely that swapping Mallet for Fitzpatrick would increase Houston's passing attack. 

Still, Mallet very possibly could do better than Fitzpatrick. Houston has weapons in Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins. They have a strong running game led by Arian Foster, which can take pressure off Mallet and set up play-action passes. There are opportunities here for a quarterback who doesn't need to be explosive, just effective. 

Mainly, the Texans need a quarterback who can protect the football. Fitzpatrick has six touchdowns and six interceptions on the season, joining Geno Smith (seven each) and Jake Locker (four) as the other quarterbacks who have exactly a one-to-one TD-to-INT ratio on the season.

Fitzpatrick has 99 interceptions on his career to 112 touchdowns and has a 30-52-1 record in games he has started, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. Mallet, on the other hand, is extremely unproven, having never started an NFL game and playing in just four for the Patriots in 2012.

But O'Brien is one of the best in football at evaluating quarterback talent, and given his previous experience working with Mallet, the fact that he traded for him when he took the coaching job in Houston, the praise he gave Mallet last week should be taken seriously.  

Yes, Fitzpatrick wasn't hired to be anything more than a game manager, but he's barely, well, managing to do that so far. In the Texans' three wins this season, the defense held their opponents to 17 or fewer points. Its role in Houston's victories this season can't be underestimated. 

In addition to Fitzpatrick's turnover issues, Houston is averaging 208.5 passing yards per game, which is 28th in the league. That shouldn't be the case in a Bill O'Brien offense, and the lack of a passing threat is limiting opportunities for a true weapon like Foster in the running game. 

When something's not working, it's easy to believe that a change will solve the problem, and that may not be the case for Houston. But Fitzpatrick's ceiling has been fairly well established over his nine-season career, while Mallet's ceiling is unknown. 

If it's more likely than not that neither QB will be starting in Houston this time next year, why not see what Mallet can do in this offense now that he's comfortable?