Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

With Deshaun Watson out for the rest of the 2017 season, the Houston Texans are weighing the prospect of signing Colin Kaepernick.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported Sunday that some inside the Texans are wondering whether Kaepernick would be a good replacement for the injured Watson:

Watson tore his ACL in practice earlier in the week, which leaves Tom Savage, Matt McGloin and T.J. Yates as the Texans' three remaining quarterbacks.

Kaepernick would be an obvious option for Houston to target in free agency as a replacement for Watson. He has started 58 games over the previous five seasons, and he's a stylistic facsimile for Watson.

By signing Kaepernick, the Texans wouldn't need to overhaul their offensive game plan, which is one of the biggest arguments Kaepernick's critics make when explaining why he remains out of a job.

Despite signing Kaepernick making sense for Houston, a level of skepticism remains based on comments made by Texans owner Bob McNair.

During a meeting among owners, McNair was critical of the protest movement Kaepernick helped inspire, telling his fellow owners the NFL "can't have the inmates running the prison," according to ESPN The Magazine's Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr.

Duane Brown, whom the Texans traded to the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday, was critical of McNair during an interview with Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. Brown told Florio he didn't think McNair did enough to publicly support him when he protested during the anthem.



"I protested [during the national anthem] last year, and there was no backing of my character as a man as a leader or a player," Brown said. "There was nothing said by [McNair] or the organization to back me at all. They just kind of sent me to the wolves."

McNair is also part of Kaepernick's lawsuit against the NFL in which he alleges team owners are colluding to keep him out of the league. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported McNair is among the owners set to be deposed as part of the lawsuit. McNair will also have to turn over cell phone and email records.