Alex Smith is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks left on the market as the NFL is in the midst of the second wave of this free agent signing period. The former Pro Bowl quarterback may be option No. 1 for the Houston Texans pending the outcome of the allegations against Deshaun Watson (for more on Watson, see John Breech's story here).

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Houston could add Smith to its quarterback room pending on how the Watson situation plays out. Watson is currently facing 21 civil lawsuits alleging indecent conduct and sexual assault during massage sessions and the Texans have since responded to the allegations. On Friday, the Houston Police Department announced a criminal complaint was filed against Watson that is being investigated.

Before any of his legal issues surfaced, Watson had also requested a trade out of Houston.

Smith was the quarterback with the Kansas City Chiefs when Texans head coach David Culley was the wide receivers coach there from 2013 through 2016, so there's a bit of familiarity in play. The Texans did add Tyrod Taylor this offseason, so Smith could be another veteran option to compete with Taylor for the starting quarterback job if Watson doesn't return.

Smith went 5-1 as the starter for the Washington Football Team last season, completing 66.7% of his passes for 1,582 yards with six touchdowns to eight interceptions and a 78.5 passer rating. This came after Smith was sidelined for the entire 2019 season and didn't play a game since November of 2018. Smith suffered a broken tibia and fibula that required 17 surgeries to remove tissue resulting from an infection in both bones following the initial surgery.

Smith defied the odds and came back to the league once. The Texans may be calling him pending on how their quarterback situation plays out. Culley isn't afraid to bring in competition at any position in order to bring the Texans back to the top of the AFC South.

"You go out and look for people to bring in for competition to be able to make it better," Culley said back in March. "I feel like right now, with what we're doing, Nick (Caserio) and our personnel staff is doing with free agency and with the draft coming up, that that's the best way and the quickest way to be able to get things moving in the direction that you want. That's why we're bringing in the people that we're bringing in and that's why we're evaluating the people that we're evaluating."