Tyrod Taylor lobbed the football Wednesday morning, delivering a perfect spiral into the corner of the end zone to connect with tight end Jordan Akins for an acrobatic, one-handed touchdown catch.
It was arguably the Texans' new starting quarterback's most impressive pass since the start of training camp.
And it was the kind of sharp throw from the veteran passer that's encouraging to his new teammates and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly.
Known for his accuracy, mobility and work ethic, Taylor is off to a good start with his new team after signing a one-year contract with a maximum value of $12.5 million.
“I mean, it's been great," Kelly said of Taylor's assimilation. "With his professionalism, he comes in, he wants to be great. He wants to come in and know exactly what's going on. He's got command of the entire offense. Again, just the way he approaches every single day, it's been really good for me. It's been really good for everyone in the room.”
Taylor lost his starting job last season when a Los Angeles Chargers team doctor accidentally punctured his lung while administering a pain-killing injection. That led to Justin Herbert replacing the former Baltimore Ravens sixth-round draft pick from Virginia Tech and eventually emerging as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
“He’s a consummate pro, and I don’t use that loosely,” Texans coach David Culley said. “He's the first guy in this building every morning and he's usually the last guy to leave and that's every day and that's just who he is. You'll never hear him doing a whole bunch of talking about this and talking about that. He just goes about his business."
Taylor passed for 2,799 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions and rushed for 427 yards and four scores in 2017 in Buffalo with Culley on Sean McDermott’s coaching staff.
Taylor has the third-lowest interception rate since 2011 with interceptions thrown on just 1.4 percent of his throws with 20 interceptions during a decade in the NFL. Taylor is a multidimensional passer who can beat defenses with his feet and his arm, rushing for 1,850 yards and 16 touchdowns and passing for 9,770 yards and 54 touchdowns.
“Tyrod is doing a good job coming in here and, you know, being professional and getting a good grasp of the offense, how things are shaking out, the different reads," Kelly said. "For a guy who has played as long as he had, a lot of it ends up just being translation. He understands the plays, just now how we call it and what are kind of specifics from this offense to the different offenses he’s played in. He’s doing a good job with that. He’s got a really good control of the huddle. He’s doing a good job of leading that offense."
Aaron Wilson has covered the NFL for 20 seasons, including the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He has previously written for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. He’s on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL and Instagram: @aaronwilson7128.