The Texans will face 14 different quarterbacks, presumably, in the 17-game season in 2023. That's the minimum number they could face, but given injuries, rookies and other factors, they might see more signal-callers.
Regardless, let's take a look at the presumed starters for each opponent.
AFC South
Indianapolis
Anthony Richardson
Gardner Minshew
Nick Foles
Sam Ehlinger
The Colts made Richardson the #4 overall pick in the draft and I'd imagine that he'll be the guy…eventually. He's not quite as ready-made as Panthers draft pick Bryce Young or newest Texan C.J. Stroud. So, depending on when the Texans see the Colts, it may or may not be Richardson twice this season. Last year, the Texans faced the Colts in week one (Matt Ryan) and week 18 (Sam Ehlinger) and the two teams couldn't have been more different 17 weeks apart.
Tennessee
Ryan Tannehill
Will Levis
Malik Willis
The difference between the Colts and the Titans is that Tannehill still has quality NFL starter written all over him. But the surrounding cast is older. The O-line is a complete rebuild and Levis, the 33rd pick of the 2023 Draft, awaits. Again, it could very well be Tannehill early and Levis late or Tannehill for the whole season. The veteran only played 12 games last year and missed both games against the Texans
Jacksonville
Trevor Lawrence
C.J. Beathard
Trevor is HIM and that's not good news for this division. But, there is NO question in the last of the three divisional teams - Trevor Lawrence twice a year, unless something unforeseen and untoward happens.
AFC North
Baltimore - Lamar Jackson (away)
Cleveland - Deshaun Watson (home)
Cincinnati - Joe Burrow (away)
Pittsburgh - Kenny Pickett (home)
There is no controversy with any of those four starting, so unless an injury takes place, the Texans will have their hands full with the four starting quarterbacks in this division. This might be the best four in a division, top-to-bottom, of any group in the league. AFC East and AFC West are close and the Texans know all about that as they faced the AFC West last year.
NFC South
Tampa Bay - Baker Mayfield (home)
New Orleans - Derek Carr (home)
Carolina - Bryce Young (away)
Atlanta - Desmond Ridder (away)
What an interesting mix of QBs in the NFC South! The four QBs last year were Tom Brady, Andy Dalton, Sam Darnold and Marcus Mariota and transitioned into the quartet above. All four will be permanent starters for their respective teams for the first time.
Crossover games
New York Jets - Aaron Rodgers (away)
Denver - Russell Wilson (home)
Arizona - Kyler Murray/Colt McCoy/Clayton Tune/Jeff Driskel (home)
Zava, aka Rodgers, finally set up residence in New Jersey with the Jets, making them a legit AFC championship candidate. But everything is still new, so who knows? Wilson gets Sean Payton to lead him in Wilson's second year in Denver, but if it doesn't improve after last year, it's going to be a mess. Finally, what to make of the Cardinals' situation as Kyler Murray continues to rehab his ACL tear from late last year? If the game is early in the year, Murray might not be back. If the game is later in the year and the Cardinals are struggling, perhaps the Cardinals could choose to wait on Murray's return.
As I went through each team, this struck me (let's say Murray isn't ready to go when the Texans take on the Cardinals)...
Lamar - 6th year
Tannehill - 5th year
Burrow - 4th year
Trevor - 3rd year
Colt - 3rd year (mainly as a backup)
Wilson - 2nd year
Deshaun - 2nd year
Pickett - 2nd year
Rodgers - 1st year
Carr - 1st year
Mayfield - 1st year
Young - 1st year
Ridder - 1st year
Richardson - 1st year
Those are the years spent in each QB's current location. There isn't a Brady, a Brees, a Rivers, a Roethlisberger, an Allen or a Mahomes on the schedule. They're quarterbacks that were/are institutions in a particular location. Only Jackson is in his same city as the bona fide star for longer than five years. So it's a unique year for the Texans as it pertains to opposing QBs.
That all said, the Texans may indeed start a rookie too, so those teams could say the same thing. Perhaps the entire AFC South, minus Lawrence, will start rookies in due time. Suffice to say, it's going to be a wild season for the Texans as it pertains to the QBs on their schedule and the QBs in their own building.
