The Texans might be willing to give up a sixth- or seventh-round pick for Mallett. But that shouldn’t be enticing enough for Bill Belichick. Mallett is more valuable as Brady’s backup than a sixth-round pick.
Because let’s face it, Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t ready to be an NFL backup, even with good numbers: 9 of 13 passing for 157 yards and one touchdown, plus another that was wrongly waived off by the officials. Garoppolo took over after halftime and threw some great deep balls to Brian Tyms (a tall, lanky receiver who came late to camp but is making quite an impression, by the way), but otherwise he’s got that deer-in-the-headlights look in the pocket. There’s a huge jump from the NCAA division formerly known as 1AA to the NFL, and Garoppolo needs a red-shirt year. In training camp practices, Garoppolo is overwhelmed by the speed of the game and complexity of the coverages. He would get swallowed whole in a regular-season game this year.
Mallett gives the Patriots a little bit more peace of mind as Brady’s backup.
