Just days after Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien announced Brian Hoyer as the team's starting quarterback to begin the season, Ryan Mallett was absent from practice on Thursday. When asked about Mallett's absence, O'Brien said it was between coach and player.
Mallet certainly wasn't pleased to hear he lost the competition to be the Texans' quarterback. While we didn't see his reaction or hear from him on HBO's "Hard Knocks", he told reports on Aug. 25, "Obviously I'm disappointed and I don't agree with it, but I'll be ready"
It's unknown whether not being named the starter and pushed to being a backup has anything to do with Mallett's absence. O'Brien does believe that Mallett will return to practice on Friday. Of course, it will also be a storyline worth watching on next week's Hard Knocks.
While Hoyer will start out of the gates, poor performances can lead to O'Brien pulling the plug on Hoyer and making Mallet the starter. Neither are worth looking at in even the deepest fantasy leagues, though Mallet's arm makes him an attractive name when looking at DeAndre Hopkins.
If further updates become available, we will have it for you right here.