The 10 Best Texans Quarterbacks of All Time, Ranked

Heavy on Texans

The Houston Texans are the newest franchise to have arrived in the NFL, joining the other 31 participants in 2002, when they selected Fresno State quarterback David Carr to be their inaugural signal caller. 

Since then, their QB road has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride, hosting both some surefire elite talents alongside some less elite players. And despite having been around for just over two decades, the Texans have had 21 players start a game at QB.

Yet it feels like this conveyer belt of quarterbacks may be halted, at least for now, with incumbent C.J. Stroud showing top-tier ability as the leader of the offense. 

Let’s take a look at Heavy’s 10 best Texans quarterbacks of all time.

10. Case Keenum

GettyCase Keenum.

• Years as a Texan: 2012-2013, 2014, 2023-present
  
• Career regular season stats:
  • 12 starts
  • 3-9 record
  • 56.4% completion percentage
  • 2,486 passing yards
  • 12 passing touchdowns
  • 11 INTs
  • 108 rushing yards
  • 1 rushing touchdown
• Iconic performance: November 3, 2013. Although the Texans ultimately fell to the Andrew Luck-led division rivals the Indianapolis Colts, Keenum put in the best and only 300 yard+ performance of his career, putting up 3 touchdowns along with 350 yards as the Texans narrowly lost 27-24.

If Case Keenum has been drafted a decade later, he could well have ended up going on the first two days of the NFL draft. With height concerns moving him off of many teams draft boards, the Texans were able to scoop him up as an undrafted free agent in 2012. While he never managed to set the world alight, despite some initially promising performances in 2013 in relief of incumbent starter Matt Schaub, Keenum has turned into a capable bridge/backup QB in multiple stints for the organization.

9. Sage Rosenfels

GettySage Rosenfels.

• Years as a Texan: 2006-2008
  
• Career regular season stats:
  • 19 games (10 starts)
  • 107-51 record
  • 65.6% completion percentage
  • 3,380 passing yards
  • 24 passing touchdowns
  • 23 INTs
  • 93 rushing yards
  • 1 rushing touchdown
• Iconic performance: October 21, 2007, against the Tennessee Titans. Another closely fought loss against a divisional opponent. While the Texans came up short, Rosenfels turned many heads in this 290 yard display — albeit with 3 interceptions — where all 4 touchdown passes came in the fourth quarter; tied for an NFL record.

For younger football consumers, or who are not die-hard Texans fans, Sage Rosenfels certainly does not have the name recognition of fellow former Houston bridge starters/backups such as Case Keenum and Brian Hoyer. But Rosenfels certainly flies under the radar as a sneakily efficient and productive quarterback for the league’s youngest franchise, including going 4-1 as a starter in 2007 and a very impressive-for-the-time, 65.6% completion percentage.

8. Brian Hoyer

GettyBrian Hoyer.

• Years as a Texan: 2015
  
• Career regular season stats:
  • 11 games (9 starts)
  • 5-4 record
  • 60.7% completion percentage
  • 2,606 passing yards
  • 19 passing touchdowns
  • 7 INTs
  • 44 rushing yards
• Career postseason stats:
  • 1 start
  • 44.1% completion percentage
  • 136 passing yards
  • 4 INTs
• Iconic performance: January 3, 2016, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. At this point, it seems like every Texans QB has their most memorable performance in division. Hoyer threw for 249 yards plus a touchdown and interception apiece in a game that clinched the team’s third ever AFC South division title, in what would prove to be Hoyer’s last game in Houston.

If, in a fairly strange parallel world, Brian Hoyer were to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he likely would not go in as a Texan. But, as a starter for the majority of the year, Hoyer became just the second quarterback to lead the Texans to a division championship and into the playoffs (after Matt Schaub). Hoyer has gone on to have a very honorable career as a backup QB and well-respected locker room voice across the NFL — and he will always have a little bit of Houston’s heart for what was, at the time, an impressive accomplishment.

7. Brock Osweiler

GettyBrock Osweiler.

• Years as a Texan: 2016 
  
• Career regular season stats:
  • 15 games (14 starts)
  • 8-6 record
  • 59.0% completion percentage
  • 2,957 passing yards
  • 15 passing touchdowns
  • 16 INTs
  • 131 rushing yards
  • 2 rushing touchdowns
• Career postseason stats:
  • 2 starts
  • 1-1 record
  • 56.9% completion percentage
  • 365 passing yards
  • 2 passing touchdowns
  • 3 INTs
  • 33 rushing yards
  • 1 rushing touchdowns
• Iconic performance: September 11, 2016, against the Chicago Bears. Osweiler’s debut game in a Texans outfit certainly started better than it finished, with a confident, 2 touchdown display helping Houston overcome the Bears, 23-14. 

Brock Osweiler will forever go down as a disappointment in the eyes of the Texans fanbase. And, given his (at that point) hefty 4 year, $72 million deal signed in free agency on the heels of a Super Bowl-winning year at the Denver Broncos, this is by no means an unfair assessment.

However, the extent of the let down is not proportional to Osweiler’s level of — somewhat inconsistent — play in Texas: while never managing to reach the heights of days in Denver, Osweiler was still a competent pair of hands, guiding the Texans to another AFC South title and winning just the third playoff game in franchise history.

6. Ryan Fitzpatrick

GettyRyan Fitzpatrick.

• Years as a Texan: 2014
  
• Career regular season stats:
  • 12 starts
  • 6-6 record
  • 63.1% completion percentage
  • 2,483 passing yards
  • 17 passing touchdowns
  • 8 INTs
  • 184 rushing yards
  • 2 rushing touchdowns
• Iconic performance: November 30, 2014, against the Tennessee Titans. Not much to debate for this one: Fitzpatrick threw for 358 yards and 6 touchdowns in what many consider to be the best performance of his professional career, in an offensive masterclass against Tennessee.

Throughout his career, Ryan “Fitzmagic” Fitzpatrick has been the personification of the highest highs and lowest lows. A strong-armed “gunslinger” type, Fitzpatrick can always be counted on to produce entertaining football. And this was very much on show during his time in Houston, where he managed five games with over a 100 passer rating, and also three games under 76. Although this inconsistency balanced out for an eventual 6-6 record, Fitzpatrick was unable to guide Houston to the postseason, despite finishing the year at 9-7.

5. Davis Mills

GettyDavid Mills #10.

• Years as a Texan: 2021-present
  
• Career regular season stats:
  • 36 games (26 starts)
  • 5-19-1 record
  • 62.7% completion percentage
  • 6,034 passing yards
  • 35 passing touchdowns
  • 25 INTs
  • 161 rushing yards
  • 2 rushing touchdowns
• Iconic performance: January 8, 2023 @ Indianapolis Colts. Mills pulled out the most clutch performance of his young career, converting multiple 4th down attempts and 2-point conversions to lead the Texans to an impressive 32-31 comeback win.

Although Mills’ greatest Houston Texans legacy may well end up being the aforementioned game, where he secured the Texans draft spot with the No. 2 pick, thus forcing them to take Pro Bowler and budding star, C.J. Stroud, he has played substantially better than his abysmal 0.220 record shows. Working as a young quarterback with a dreadful roster in his first two years, Mills was able to show promise as a competent QB, delivering some excellent performances in the process — even if those showings never materialized into wins.

4. David Carr

GettyDavid Carr.

• Years as a Texan: 2002-2006
  
• Championships & awards:
  • NFL Completion Percentage Leader (2006)
  • PFWA All-Rookie Team (2002)
• Career regular season stats:
  • 76 games (75 starts)
  • 22-53 record
  • 60.0% completion percentage
  • 13,391 passing yards
  • 59 passing touchdowns
  • 65 INTs
  • 1,235 rushing yards
  • 8 rushing touchdowns
• Iconic performance: October 10, 2004, against the Minnesota Vikings. Much like the majority of David Carr’s unfortunate career in Houston, the Texans lost this game. But this did not stop Carr from going off to the tune of a career-best 372 passing yards, 3 touchdowns for a 116.4 passer rating in this 34-28 home defeat.

David Carr is a tough evaluation; for as many people that consider him to be a giant bust – especially as their first ever draft pick, almost as many believe he was failed by an incompetent organization that failed to put an even vaguely workable offensive line in front of him, taking 249 sacks and plenty of subsequent injuries that ultimately bought an early end to a once highly promising career.

3. Matt Schaub

GettyMatt Schaub.

• Years as a Texan: 2007-2013
  
• Championships & awards:
  • NFL Passing Yards Leader (2009)
  • 2-time Pro Bowl (2009, 2012)
• Career regular season stats:
  • 90 games (88 starts)
  • 46-42 record
  • 64.6% completion percentage
  • 23,221 passing yards
  • 124 passing touchdowns
  • 78 INTs
  • 229 rushing yards
  • 4 rushing touchdowns
• Career postseason stats:
  • 2 starts
  • 1-1 record
  • 70.8% completion percentage
  • 605 passing yards
  • 2 passing touchdowns
  • 2 INTs
  • 2 rushing yards
• Iconic performance: November 18, 2012, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Schaub threw for a whopping 5 touchdowns and the second most passing yards ever in a game, 527, behind only Norm Van Brocklin in 1951, who managed 554 air yards, in a 43-37 overtime divisional shootout.

Matt Schaub was by no means the savior that Texans fans had been clamoring for in the post-David Carr era. But, in the history of 3rd round quarterbacks, there have been few that have over delivered more than Schaub. The 6-foot-6 Pittsburgh native brought Houston their first AFC South division titles, their first two playoff wins (and 40% of their all time playoff wins!) and gave some much-needed consistency and stability to the quarterback position in Texas.

2. Deshaun Watson

GettyDeshaun Watson.

• Years as a Texan: 2017-2021
  
• Championships & awards:
  • NFL Passing Yards Leader (2020)
  • 3-time Pro Bowl (2018-2020)
  • PFWA All-Rookie Team (2017)
• Career regular season stats:
  • 54 games (53 starts)
  • 28-26 record
  • 67.8% completion percentage
  • 14,539 passing yards
  • 104 passing touchdowns
  • 36 INTs
  • 1,677 rushing yards
  • 17 rushing touchdowns
• Career postseason stats:
  • 3 starts
  • 1-2 record
  • 63.5% completion percentage
  • 870 passing yards
  • 4 passing touchdowns
  • 1 INT
  • 168 rushing yards
  • 2 rushing touchdowns
• Iconic performance: October 6, 2019, against the Atlanta Falcons. Watson threw for 426 yards, 5 touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a high-scoring routing of the Falcons, 53-32.

Undoubtedly the most controversial quarterback on this list; yet many would argue he ought to be ranked No. 1. While Deshaun Watson clearly put up phenomenal numbers over his time in Houston and found initial success in 2018 and 2019, he was unable to overcome poor management and coaching from now infamous head coach and GM Bill O’Brien, guiding the Texans to 4-12 in his final season with them. Although he has been unable to replicate this same form for the Cleveland Browns, Watson is undeniably one of the greatest talents to wear a Texans uniform, and the 2nd greatest QB talent, behind only No. 1 on this list.

1. C.J. Stroud

GettyC.J. Stroud

• Years as a Texan: 2023-present
  
• Championships & awards:
  • NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2023)
  • Pro Bowl (2023)
  • PFWA All-Rookie Team (2023)
• Career regular season stats:
  • 21 starts
  • 14-7 record
  • 65.2% completion percentage
  • 5,685 passing yards
  • 33 passing touchdowns
  • 9 INTs
  • 242 rushing yards
  • 3 rushing touchdowns
• Career postseason stats:
  • 2 starts
  • 1-1 record
  • 64.8% completion percentage
  • 449 passing yards
  • 3 passing touchdowns
  • 10 rushing yards
• Iconic performance: January 13, 2024, against the Cleveland Browns. C.J. Stroud had already had one of the greatest QB rookie seasons of all time, and was poised to be the face of the franchise for years to come. However, after this AFC Wild Card matchup, where Stroud systematically picked apart the No. 1 total defense in the NFL, putting up 276 yards and 3 touchdowns, his stock was immediately elevated to true star status.

Yes, he has only played 21 games for the franchise, just over 1 ¼ seasons — but he has proven himself to be a Top 5 quarterback in the NFL already. Poised and unflappable under pressure, excellent both in the pocket and scrambling on off-schedule plays, the former Ohio State standout can do everything. Even though, barring any unforeseen circumstances and/or injury, he is set to lead the Texans for the next decade-plus, he may already be the greatest QB in their short history.

How’d we do, Texans fans? See who just missed our list and sound off in the comments!