Last season, the Houston Texans were in the playoff chase all the way through their last game of the season. They dramatically improved their performance on the field in just one year. One position they did need to get better at was the quarterback position, because that was the position that held them back from getting a playoff spot last season. The Texans took care of that this offseason when they signed Brian Hoyer.

The Texans signed journeyman quarterback Brian Hoyer, who will be starting the 2015 season with his fourth different team in his seven seasons in the NFL. He’s hoping that the Texans will be his last spot as he’s in yet another quarterback battle with Ryan Mallett and Tom Savage.

Throughout his career, Hoyer has been an inconsistent quarterback. He’s showed promise at times to be a good player, then has moments that make him look like he belongs on the bench. Yet, there’s always been something about him that makes teams want to take a flyer on him. In his latest stint with the Cleveland Browns, he had a respectable starting record of 10-6 in his two seasons there, but in the second part of last season his play drastically dropped. At one point there was chatter that Hoyer would be the future starter of his hometown Browns, but his collapse late in the season ended that talk.

So Hoyer moved on to yet another team again. This time with the Texans, whom Hoyer does have some familiarity with during his time with the New England Patriots when Texans head coach Bill O’Brien was the offensive coordinator for the Patriots.

Hoyer won’t be handed the starting reigns though. The Texans want Mallett to be their guy, but just in case he needs to improve his game more they brought in Hoyer for a temporary fix. It’s a fix that should result in better quarterback play than they had last year.

Last season, the Texans went with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starter for most of the season. Fitzpatrick is a decent backup quarterback, but he doesn’t have the capability to lead a team to a playoff run. The Texans have a playoff caliber team and they almost made the playoffs last year. They were just a good quarterback away from qualifying for the playoffs last year. Hoyer is definitely a better option at quarterback than Fitzpatrick.

Hoyer will bring multiple intangibles to the Texans. For one, he will provide a veteran leadership for the young quarterbacks, something both Mallet and Savage need in their young careers. If Mallet and Savage are not ready to be the starter by the time training camp opens, they will be able to sit and learn from a veteran who has starting experience.

If Mallett or Savage are not declared the starters, Hoyer is a capable quarterback to get the job done temporarily. A much better option than they have had in the past. He’s not a fixture for the future, but he will be able to make the Texans a serious playoff contender this year. The Texans have a roster full of talent and just enough weapons to make a push for a playoff spot. Unlike last season, the quarterback position won’t be a position holding them back. Hoyer will be able to move the offense a lot better than Fitzpatrick was able to last year.

According to reports, Hoyer had a strong minicamp and impressed his coaches. That shouldn’t totally surprise anyone. Hoyer is a decent quarterback, but he isn’t a franchise quarterback. Hoyer will be able to provide a veteran leadership and be a solid quarterback option to win games if they need him to. The Texans are in better position this season with Hoyer on the roster.