Mallett news

[Dale]

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports there's "mutual interest" between the Texans and Patriots in a Ryan Mallett trade.

"From what I understand, there's still a chance," Rapoport added. The Texans came away with just Pittsburgh QB Tom Savage via the fourth round of this past weekend's draft. He's not ready to play in the NFL, and it would appear Ryan Fitzpatrick is the frontrunner to be under center come Week 1 if GM Rick Smith sticks to his current quarterback group. Mallett is in the final year of his rookie deal, and the Patriots drafted Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round. We'd guess the chances are better than 50:50 that Mallett is moved.






The Houston Chronicle reports the Texans "will not be trading for" Patriots QB Ryan Mallett.

This comes hours after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported there was still "mutual interest" between the Patriots and Texans to strike a deal. The Texans can't -- if they want to win games -- go into the season with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starter. Fourth-round rookie Tom Savage isn't ready. This isn't to say Mallett is any better than either, but he knows the offense and has been Tom Brady's understudy for three years. We can't rule out a deal.

[Dale]

CSN New England's Tom Curran believes the Patriots want to showcase QB Ryan Mallett for a trade this preseason.

With Tom Brady sitting out Thursday's exhibition opener against the Redskins, Mallett is going to play heavy snaps. Mallett trade rumors have become an annual rite of summer, but make more sense this season. Mallett is going into the final year of his rookie deal, while the Patriots have second-rounder Jimmy Garoppolo to back up Brady. Mallett likely would have been traded by now if he had any real value.

[Dale]

Getting the start, Ryan Mallett struggled in the Patriots' preseason opener, completing just 5-of-12 passes for 55 yards.

Quite simply, it was a Gabbert-esque performance. Mallett lost two completions to Patriots penalties, but missed passes every which way. He threw multiple balls in the dirt, and displayed shockingly poor timing with his second- and third-team compatriots. He was jittery in the pocket, and the Redskins took advantage, sending more heat than you typically see in a preseason game. Mallett looked nothing like a quarterback the Patriots are going to be receiving calls about. He's leaving the door open for rookie Jimmy Garoppolo to seize No. 2 duties.

[Dale]

The Boston Globe reports there has been "increasing talk" that the Patriots may keep only two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

That would leave Ryan Mallett as the odd man out. Just last week, NFL Network's Mike Mayock dubbed Mallett a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL. Mallett then struggled badly in the preseason opener, completing 5-of-12 passes for 55 yards and showing shockingly poor timing and accuracy. The Patriots may try to "showcase" Mallett for a potential trade again this week, but it appears second-round rookie Jimmy Garoppolo is ahead of him to be Tom Brady's caddy.

[Dale]

Ryan Mallett completed 7-of-11 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots' second preseason game Friday night.

He also rushed four times for nine yards and a touchdown. This was a step forward for Mallett after his abysmal preseason opener, but he played behind rookie Jimmy Garoppolo and could be in danger of being supplanted as New England's primary backup to Tom Brady. Through two exhibitions, Mallett is 12-of-23 passing for 147 yards and the touchdown, which was good to Brian Tyms.

[Dale]

Ryan Mallett completed 2-of-3 passes for 14 yards in one series of work against the Panthers Friday night.

Mallett replaced Tom Brady for one series in the first quarter, and did not see the field again all night. It was likely a mind game from coach Bill Belichick to see if Mallett could handle being unexpectedly thrust into the starting lineup. Mallett performed well, and the fact that Belichick tried the experiment on Mallett instead of Jimmy Garoppolo suggests Mallett is the favorite to open the season as Brady's backup. Mallett has completed 14-of-26 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown this preseason.

[Dale]

The Patriots are expected to hold Ryan Mallett out of Thursday's preseason finale as opportunities around the NFL become available.

The Patriots are still holding out hope that they can get something in a trade for Mallett, who is entering the final year of his contract. It remains unlikely, even with Sam Bradford (knee) going down and Cam Newton (ribs) slightly iffy for Week 1. If teams were interested in Mallett, they would have swung a deal long ago. Second-round rookie Jimmy Garoppolo will start Thursday.

[Dale]

The Houston Chronicle doesn't expect Ryan Mallett to challenge for the Texans' starting job anytime soon.

Per beat writer Brian Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick is "locked in" as coach Bill O'Brien's starter. Mallett is being brought to Houston as a quarterback with familiarity of the offense. We don't doubt that Fitzpatrick is the guy for right now, but once he struggles, because he certainly will, the Mallett chants will begin.

[Dale]

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Ryan Fitzpatrick and E.J. Manuel are already on the "hot seat."

Schefter said that the feeling in league circles is that Ryan Mallett will reach the 40 percent of snaps clause in the Patriots trade sooner rather than later. Fitzpatrick does benefit from a soft early-season schedule, as the Texans face WAS, OAK, NYG, BUF and DAL in the first five weeks. As for the Manuel situation, Schefter's note that the Bills are "not afraid to pull the trigger" on a switch to Kyle Orton is merely confirming what's blatantly obvious: Buffalo knows E.J. isn't it as their franchise quarterback.

[Dale]

Following Sunday's loss to the Eagles, coach Bill O'Brien would not rule out making a quarterback change during the bye week.

Ryan Fitzpatrick completed just 13-of-27 passes Sunday as the Texans lost for the fourth time in five weeks. He ranks 22nd in passer rating, 27th in QBR and has a meager 11:8 TD-to-INT ratio through nine games. The problem for O'Brien is that his backup is Ryan Mallet, who has never started an NFL game. Ultimately, we'd be slightly surprised if he didn't give the veteran comforts of Fitzy a little more leash. Mallet tweeted this Sunday night: "I'm staying focused for when the time comes. Seize the opportunity #justwaiting."

[Dale]

Speaking Monday, Texans coach Bill O'Brien declined to endorse Ryan Fitzpatrick as his starter, and said he'll "continue to evaluate" the team's quarterback situation.

If the Texans are going to turn to No. 2 Ryan Mallett, now would be the time with the bye week on tap. That would give Mallett nearly 14 days to prepare for his first NFL start, which would be coming against the Browns' shaky defense. Fitzpatrick hasn't been an abject disaster, but boasts a thoroughly mediocre 11:8 TD:INT ratio through nine games. No one would fault the Texans for seeing what they have in Mallett, or perhaps even No. 3 Tom Savage.

[clifflee4mvp™]

Give him a shot!

[Charlie]

Mallett named the starter:

blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2014/11/texans-name-ryan-mallett-starting-quarterback/

[Dale]

The Texans named Ryan Mallett their starting quarterback for Week 11 against the Browns.

Coach Bill O'Brien praised Mallett's command of the offense, acknowledging his progress running the system, and said it's time to give Mallett "his shot." With the Texans on their bye, it was a prime time to make the switch. Fitzpatrick is 21st in the league in completion percentage, 15th in passing yards, and 11th in YPA. However, he managed just an 11:8 TD:INT ratio and took 21 sacks. The world has been waiting to see if Mallett can play in the NFL. And now is his time. In the final year of his rookie deal, Mallett has a golden opportunity to earn some good money in the offseason. Andre Johnson is said to be a big fan of Mallett's. Mallett has a big arm and will be able to get the ball deep to both Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, but he has big-time accuracy issues in the short-to-intermediate range.

[Dale]

Ryan Mallett completed 20-of-30 passes for 211 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the Texans' Week 11 win over the Browns.

He didn't take a single sack. The Texans "protected" Mallett with a season-high 54 rushing attempts, and he should have been picked off by Browns OLB Paul Kruger in the second quarter, but Kruger flat-out dropped it. Several of Mallett's throws were off target early, but otherwise he showed complete command of Bill O'Brien's offense and restored an intermediate and deep-ball element to a Texans passing attack that lacked it with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the controls. We're hesitant to deem Mallett anything more than a lower-end two-quarterback-league option entering Week 12 against the Bengals. He does deserve credit for a solid NFL starting debut.