08 March 2023 , 15:26
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The Houston Texans are reportedly pushing to sign Jimmy Garoppolo once the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback becomes a free agent on March 15, CBS reporter Jonathan Jones has reported.
The Texans have a number of links to the Niners, with new head coach DeMeco Ryans being the defensive coordinator in San Francisco for the past two seasons.
Along with Ryans, followed Bobby Slowik, the new offensive coordinator for the Texans, who had spent five years with the Niners coaching their offense - working with Garoppolo. And the recent reports suggest that Slowik would like to work with the 31-year-old quarterback in Houston, which could shake up the NFL Draft.
The Texans hold the second pick in this year's draft, a class which is loaded with high-end quarterback talent in the first-round. However, reports have suggested recently that Houston could shockingly not select a quarterback this year, and instead draft the best defensive player in the class - likely to be Will Anderson Jr or Jalen Carter.
With Ryans being a defensive-minded coach, he may look to build his defence around Anderson's pass-rushing ability, seeing the Texans as a long-term rebuild rather than a quick fix, by drafting a quarterback.
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Although this year is said to be a quarterback class loaded with talent, with the likes of Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson all impressing, some are of the belief that two passers entering the draft in 2024 will be more highly-touted.
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans may shock the NFL world on draft nightUSC's Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy this past season and is expected to be the top prospect next year, with UNC's Drake Maye being compared to Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen.
For the Texans, their decision may be made easier depending on what happens with the number one pick... a pick that fans will feel should be their own. After having the worst record throughout the year, they inexplicably won their final outing of the campaign in a meaningless game which saw them have a better record than the Bears and lose the first overall pick.
As well as holding the number two pick in this year's draft, the Texans also hold the 12th pick, and could look to use both on their defence, bolstering the coaches strengths this season before potentially looking at the two quarterbacks next year, with Garoppolo acting as the place holder for the next few seasons.