The mantle has fallen upon Tyrod Taylor.
The former 2015 Pro Bowler joined the Houston Texans with a hydra of objectives. Was he there to backup quarterback Deshaun Watson, who requested a trade in late January? Was he there to keep the seat warm for third-round rookie Davis Mills? Was he there to actually be the starter for first-year coach David Culley, who incidentally was his position coach in 2017 with the Buffalo Bills?
Taylor doesn’t know; all he knows is that it is his job to lead.
“I definitely feel that guys look for me for leadership, and obviously that comes with the quarterback position, and I welcome that role,” Taylor said. “It also comes with experience in the NFL. Guys naturally gravitate to older guys and want to learn and pick their brains, and that’s what we need.”
Taylor isn’t a spring chicken with 10 seasons accrued. The Baltimore Ravens drafted him in the sixth round in 2011, and he finally got his shot to be the field general in Buffalo in 2015. After his departure from the Bills, Taylor has been the placeholder for first-round quarterbacks — Baker Mayfield in Cleveland in 2018, Justin Herbert with the Chargers in 2020.
However, Taylor sees himself as part of a cavalcade of veteran leaders on the Texans roster, including running back Mark Ingram, receiver Brandin Cooks, defensive end Whitney Mercilus, and safety Justin Reid.
Said Taylor: “It’s not just me on this field. Of course, I’m a natural leader, but we also have other natural leaders on the field as well, and veterans who have been other places and guys who have been here that have a ton of knowledge of the game. It’s up to the young guys to ask those questions, but it’s also the responsibility of the older guys and the veterans to share that knowledge because it all brings us up.”
Taylor is taking up the mantle of leadership with the singular goal to help the Texans rebound from their 4-12 campaign from a season ago.
“Ultimately, we want to be a better team,” said Taylor. “The more information, the more we can share with those guys, the better we are as a team.”
