Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien said earlier this week that Ryan Fitzpatrick remains locked into the starting quarterback job. But O'Brien also left open the door to try anything that "can make the team better."
On Thursday, O'Brien decided to experiment with giving Case Keenum some reps with the first-team offense in practice, according to ESPN's Tania Ganguli. As she notes, there's no way to know what it means. But it is the first time Keenum has taken snaps with the starters during training camp.
Fitzpatrick was back with the starters in practice shortly thereafter, so we won't put too much stock into the news yet. It would be stunning if anyone but Fitzpatrick starts the next two preseason games or starts at quarterback for Houston early in the season.
O'Brien said after practice that Keenum will not get any first-team reps on Saturday vs. the Atlanta Falcons.Â
Still, it looks like Keenum has the edge in his battle with rookie Tom Savage to be the backup quarterback. And it could show that O'Brien wants to get Keenum ready in case Fitzpatrick face-plants and needs to be benched early in the season.
*The latest "Around the League Podcast" broke down the biggest position battles and ranked the best backup QBs in the league. *
