What It Means:

Barshop admits the pressure to turn the reins over to rookie Deshaun Watson "will be enormous every time Savage makes a mistake," but she writes head coach Bill O'Brien wants to keep the veteran in the job "for as long as possible." With a top-tier defense and the potential for a strong offensive running game, all Houston really needs is a game manager under center, and Savage should have a better handle on the system than the rookie. It would still be surprising if Watson does not make starts this year.

Our models project Savage for 2,061 passing yards, 11.84 touchdowns, and 9.57 interceptions on 325 pass attempts.