Ryan Fitzpatrick may be the most experienced of the Texans quarterbacks, but he'll be fighting for a starting position this offseason. After the team's first day of OTA practice, O'Brien said the quarterback competition was "wide open."
"We're all kind of learning from square one," Fitzpatrick said on Tuesday's Texans All Access radio show. "I think the biggest thing is just making sure whether you're in there or not, it's a worthwhile rep for you. Whether you're watching it or whether you're pulling a guy aside, a receiver (or) a tight end, and saying, 'Hey, watch how he runs his route,' or 'Hey, I'm expecting you to do this.'"
O'Brien hopes to give each of the four quarterbacks on the roster, Fitzpatrick, T.J. Yates, Case Keenum, and Tom Savage, equal reps during OTAs. More importantly, he wants each quarterback to have equal reps practicing with the first team starters. O'Brien said he has been impressed with the work put in by the quarterbacks so far.
"These guys are good guys, fun to coach," O'Brien said. "(Quarterbacks coach) George Godsey has done a great job with them. I think they've enjoyed learning this offense, competing, and it looks like there's good chemistry in the room, which is important in (a) quarterback room."
As training camp nears and quarterbacks begin to separate themselves, O'Brien wants more reps for his starter. In the meantime, Fitzpatrick plans on using each of his non-reps as an opportunity to get better.
"We're not just out there drinking lemonade and watching somebody else play quarterback," Fitzpatrick said. "When you're out there and not in, there's still constant communication in trying to get everybody on the same page."
