Mallett will draw the start at QB over Ryan Fitzpatrick when the Texans return to action against the Browns on November 16, the team's official site reports.

Per the Houston Chronicle, coach Bill O'Brien indicated that Mallett will be given a full shot to hold on the the starting assignment, with Fitzpatrick slated to serve as the team's top backup, and Tom Savage as the team's No. 3 QB. Mallett thus merits a speculative add for those looking to add QB depth, with his strong arm and the presence of wideouts Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins providing the signal-caller with some intriguing fantasy potential in Week 11, and beyond.

Head coach Bill O'Brien said he's considering a quarterback change, replacing starter Ryan Fitzpatrick with Mallet, the Houston Chronicle reports. The coach said Monday that the offense needs a "spark" and that he's evaluating everything, including the quarterback position.

O'Brien praised Mallett's work ethic and his knowledge of the offense after nine weeks of practice. "In practice which is totally different than in a game but in practice (Mallett) seems to have good command of what we're doing and he's come in here with good knowledge of the offense," O'Brien said. "He's been in this system for a while now and he knows the system and he's worked extremely hard in practice." Houston is entering its bye week, which would give O'Brien a couple of weeks to prepare Mallett before the team's next game against Cleveland in Week 11.

Mallett will get work during practice this week leading up to Sunday's game against Tennessee, but head coach Bill O'Brien is still behind Ryan Fitzpatrick as the team's starting quarterback, the Houston Chronicle reports. "We're going to continue to work with both of these guys in practice, and we'll see how it improves," O'Brien said.

The coach has had to answer questions about the starting quarterback after each of the last two games. Fitzpatrick has thrown seven interceptions (tied 3rd) and ranks 22nd in terms of quarterback rating. In responding to questions about what it would take for Mallett to get some playing time, O'Brien responded that while Mallett has a better grasp of the offense after seven weeks, he needs to become more consistently accurate.

Mallett is listed as the second quarterback on the Texans' unofficial depth chart for Week 1, CSN Houston reports.

Mallett, who has thrown just four passes in his three-year NFL career, will be first in line if Ryan Fitzpatrick gets injured or is ineffective.

The Patriots have traded Mallett to the Texans, NFL.com reports. According to ESPN's Tania Ganguli, the Patriots will receive a sixth-round pick in exchange for the QB.

The move secures Jimmy Garoppolo's position as the Patriots' No. 2 signal-caller behind unquestioned starter Tom Brady, while placing Mallett in the midst of a less stable quarterback situation with Houston. As it stands, Ryan Fitzpatrick is on track to open the season as the Texans' starter, with Case Keenum and rookie Tom Savage also currently in the mix. That said, there is presumably an opportunity for Mallett to potentially make his way up the team's depth chart once he is up to speed with the Texans' offense. The acquisition of Mallett probably foreshadows another move at the position by the team, with Keenum a candidate to be the odd man out.

Mallett remains on the Patriots' 53-man roster following the team's roster cuts announced on Saturday, the Boston Globe reports.

Whether Mallett or Jimmy Garoppolo are viewed as the team's No. 2 QB, neither will possess any fantasy value in re-draft formats as long as starter Tom Brady is healthy. Meanwhile, we suppose that the Patriots could still consider dealing Mallett before the NFL trade deadline, that is, if the right offer comes their way.

The Patriots are expected to hold Mallett out of their final preseason game on Thursday, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports.

Meanwhile, the Boston Herald indicates that Jimmy Garoppolo is in line to start the contest. With Sam Bradford of the Rams having suffered a torn ACL, speculation that the Patriots may consider dealing Mallett in advance of the team's final roster cut-downs has been reignited, so holding the QB out Thursday would make sense in such a scenario. The Herald report further speculates that Mallett could turn into a candidate for release, should the Patriots be inclined to carry just two signal-callers this season. In any case, who will serve as Tom Brady's top backup come Week 1 remains an unsettled situation.

Mallett completed 2-of-3 passes for 14 yards in Friday's preseason game against the Panthers.

While top QB Tom Brady started and played in the first two series Friday, he was pulled in favor of Mallett for one series. Both the Boston Globe and ESPN.com suggest that coach Bill Belichick threw Mallett into the game in that fashion in an effort to help him prepare for unexpected situations that may arise during the regular season. Meanwhile, the ESPN report further suggests that the move is likely an indicator that Mallett appears to have retained his status as the Patriots' No. 2 QB over Jimmy Garoppolo.

Mallett (knee) completed 7-of-11 passes for 92 yards, with a touchdown in Friday's preseason contest against the Eagles. The quarterback also recorded four carries for nine yards, with a six-yard rushing score.

After missing some practice time earlier in the week, Mallett was the third QB (after Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo) to enter the game, and while playing the entire second half Friday, Mallett was able to improve upon his spotty effort in last week's preseason opener. While Mallett's experience in the Patriots' system works in his favor as he tries to hold off Garoppolo, at this stage, his grip on the team's No. 2 QB job now appears less secure than it did heading into training camp.

Mallett (knee) returned to practice Tuesday, ESPN reports.

Mallett received a maintenance day off Monday to rest his left knee, which he may have tweaked while sliding in New England's preseason opener. Now back in action, Mallett will resume as the Patriots' second-string quarterback moving forward.

Mallett (knee) did not practice Monday, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

The report notes that Mallett, who has been wearing a brace over his left knee, slid awkwardly during this past Thursday's preseason opener, which suggests that the Patriots' backup QB may have tweaked his knee in the process.

Mallett completed 5-of-12 passes for 55 yards in Thursday's preseason opener against the Redskins.

Mallett played the entire first half and struggled, while Jimmy Garoppolo was much better after the break. One preseason game probably won't flip the two quarterbacks on New England's depth chart, but the rookie could make a run at the No. 2 role. If Mallett was being auditioned for a potential trade, he did nothing to attract any suitors.

Mallett is in line to start Thursday's preseason opener against the Redskins, the Boston Herald reports.

The report notes that Mallett (a 2011 third-rounder) has had his best training camp with the Patriots to date, thus solidifying his position as Brady's top backup. With Mallett entering the final year of his rookie contract, and Jimmy Garoppolo now in the team's QB mix, it's conceivable that the team could entertain the notion of dealing Mallett to a quarterback-seeking team at some point down the road, but such a scenario remains highly speculative at this point.

Mallett (knee) is participating in training camp practices, NESN.com reports.

Though rookie Jimmy Garoppolo has been added to the team's QB mix, Mallett remains in line to serve as Tom Brady's top backup this coming season.

Ryan Mallett has the edge over Jimmy Garoppolo for the backup job.

Garoppolo, a second-round rookie, has had trouble with both the center exchange and interceptions so far in camp. He's a developmental prospect as Mallett enters the final year of his rookie season.

Bill Belichick put a damper on the Ryan Mallett trade rumors, saying trading the second-string quarterback was "not really something we're that interested in."

Rumors swirled pre-draft the Patriots would deal Mallett to the quarterback-needy Texans, but that deal never materialized and is now dead according to the Houston Chronicle. It is still possible the Texans realize going into the season with the trio of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum and Tom Savage atop the quarterback depth chart is a recipe for disaster and reignite trade talks, but for now it appears Mallett will play out the final year of his rookie deal in New England.

The Houston Chronicle reports the Texans "will not be trading for" Patriots QB Ryan Mallett.

This comes hours after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported there was still "mutual interest" between the Patriots and Texans to strike a deal. The Texans can't -- if they want to win games -- go into the season with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starter. Fourth-round rookie Tom Savage isn't ready. This isn't to say Mallett is any better than either, but he knows the offense and has been Tom Brady's understudy for three years. We can't rule out a deal.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports there's "still a chance" the Texans acquire Patriots QB Ryan Mallett.

The Texans came away with just Pittsburgh QB Tom Savage via the fourth round of this weekend's draft. He's not ready to play in the NFL, and it would appear Ryan Fitzpatrick is the frontrunner to be under center come Week 1 if GM Rick Smith sticks to his current quarterback group. Mallett is in the final year of his rookie deal, and the Patriots drafted Jimmy Garappolo in the second round. We'd guess the chances are better than 50:50 that Mallett is moved.

GM Rick Smith claims the Texans have not had "any conversations" with the Patriots regarding Ryan Mallett.

We're just assuming this is a blatant lie, but Mallett-to-Houston no longer appears imminent. ESPN's Ed Werder reported Friday that Mallett is "not available." We're guessing he'll become available if the Texans are willing to meet the Patriots' asking price.

ESPN's Ed Werder stated on SportsCenter Friday that he is "told" Ryan Mallett is "not available" for trade.

The Texans were rumored to be discussing a trade for Mallett with the Patriots on Thursday. So far, nothing has happened on that front, and the buzz has died down. These things tend to be fluid, of course, so we're not ruling out a Mallett trade to Houston, where new coach Bill O'Brien has a history with Mallett from New England, and currently has a pretty glaring quarterback need.