Kyle

Allen

With Russell Wilson and Justin Fields already on the roster, Allen won’t be competing for anything more than a QB3 spot — and that’s assuming the Steelers opt to keep three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. Allen has started 19 games in his career and has thrown for 4,734-26-21 across 30 career games. He’s thrown only 184 regular season passes since 2020. In addition to Allen, the Steelers also signed defensive end Dean Lowry, who has totaled 15.5 sacks over his eight-year career.

27-year-old Allen will be thrown into the mix behind Josh Allen. Currently only Matt Barkley is on the roster after Case Keenum departed in free agency. A team with championship aspirations probably needs to do better than Allen, though he has made 19 career starts. Two of them came last year for the Texans. They went poorly.

He’s a healthy scratch after starting the last two games. Jeff Driskel will get backup duties for the Texans against the Cowboys and likely be tasked with weird short-yardage stuff like he was earlier in the season. WR Nico Collins (foot), WR Brandin Cooks (calf), DL Kurt Hinish (shoulder), and CB Derek Stingley (hamstring/illness) were ruled out on Friday. Also inactive for the Texans are OL Justin McCray (hamstring) and FB Troy Hairston (ribs).

Allen managed to get picked on the first play of the game when Teagan Quitoriano outright kicked his own catch into the hands of John Johnson, fumble-sixed on a second down quarterback sneak from his own one-yard line, then threw a pick-six when a designed screen pass was tipped up and caught by Tony Fields. 68 of his 201 passing yards came on a fourth-quarter drive down 21 with four minutes left in the game. Lovie Smith would not commit to keeping him in the starting lineup after the game. We don’t know why the Texans would have expected anything more than this, but here we are.

Allen will be a bottom-end superflex QB2 in Week 13. We genuinely don’t know what the Texans are hoping to see here.

Allen created a 30-0 deficit as he was sacked five times and one of his early picks was returned to the Houston 2. It was not exactly “his fault” that Jordan Akins was strip-sixed, but it was a checkdown pass that had little chance of reaching the sticks regardless. Allen feasted in garbage time with 163 of his 215 passing yards coming after the Texans fell behind 30-0. If he gets another start, Cleveland’s ghastly defense awaits in the Deshaun Watson bowl in Week 13. He will not be a recommended option.

Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton told reporters the change hasn’t happened, but no one on the scene believed his weak attempt at gamesmanship. Davis Mills has been one of the NFL’s worst, most inaccurate quarterbacks over the past couple of months. The Texans are ready to pretend Allen is an upgrade over Mills for the next week or so. Allen has started 17 games over the past three seasons, completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 24 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He should not be streamed in any format this week against Miami.

Brown going may cut into the viability of OJ Howard as a barebones TE streamer this week -- Brown bounced back from a Thursday DNP with a full practice on Friday. Both will have some freed up targets by the absence of Brevin Jordan (ankle), who was ruled out on Friday. Also inactive for the Texans are DL Kurt Hinish (foot), OL Austin Deculus (ankle), DB Isaac Yiadom (thigh), LB Jake Hansen, and WR Tyler Johnson. No practice squad elevation for Jeff Driskel means the Texans will actually use backup QB Kyle Allen for the first time all season.

Ostensibly the Texans backup quarterback, Allen has been usurped from the practice squad by the idea of Jeff Driskell read-action on third down. No, we’re not making that up. Johnson was inactive last week, Dorsett is a healthy scratch in favor of Chris Moore. Justin Britt sat out the week for a “personal matter” per the injury report. TE Brevin Jordan (ankle) is active for the Texans.

Johnson, who was claimed on waivers, seems to not be completely up to speed with the playbook just yet. Rasheem Green was the only player actually listed on the injury report, with a thigh injury that had him questionable, after the team sent Mario Addison to injured reserve. It’s a little surprising to see the supposed backup quarterback Allen inactive. Wallow, too, seemed to have his backers in the building though he missed plenty of training camp with an injury.