There have been many debates about whether NFL teams are blackballing Colin Kaepernick because of his national anthem protest, but it appears the Houston Texans aren’t part of that crowd.
There’s plenty of evidence that NFL teams are avoiding Kaepernick for non-football reasons, whatever they may be, as his name hasn’t come up much in an offseason that’s seen many franchises scrambling for QB help. For example, Browns coach Hue Jackson said Cleveland hasn’t talked about the 29-year-old at all. Their only options at quarterback are Cody Kessler, Kevin Hogan and Brock Osweiler, and they’re expected to release the latter.
But Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Kaepernick’s name has come up in their own discussions.
“We’ve watched him,” O’Brien said on “PFT Live” on Wednesday. “Like I’ve said, we feel good about where we’re at right now with Tom (Savage) and Brandon Weeden, but we’ve watched him and discussed him. I think that’s a fluid situation as far as free agency goes, not just for Colin Kaepernick but for the teams. As you know, your roster’s not totally set until right before you open that season. He’s a good football player, he can run, he’s been coached well by (Jim) Harbaugh and Chip Kelly. Those guys are excellent coaches, so you know the background that he has. We’ll continue to discuss all the positions on our team, but we’ve definitely watched him.”
While O’Brien’s comments don’t make it sound like the Texans are on the verge of making Kaepernick an offer, they do directly go against the idea that the quarterback hasn’t seen much action on the free agent market because of his football skills alone.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
