Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien plans to open up the competition at quarterback after playing four different players in 2014.

The Texans finished with a 9-7 record last season despite struggling at the quarterback position because of injuries.

Locking up a starter is one of the team’s top priorities.

“We’ll make the right decision and it will probably be a competition,” O’Brien said on Texans radio. “It will be something where guys come in and compete and have to win the job and that’s the way it should be and that’s what we’re looking to do.”

Ryan Mallett may be the early favorite to win the starting job in 2015, but he will hit free agency in March.

“We feel like we have some good guys here in the building that played well for us this year in Mallett, Fitzy (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and Case Keenum,” O’Brien said.

“We’ve got some guys right here and we know there are guys out there. We know, especially as Mallett here as a free agent, we understand that. So, we’re still in the process of evaluating our guys. We are in the process of evaluating what’s out there and I believe, at the end of the day, we’ll make a good decision for the Houston Texans.”

Mallett, Fitzpatrick and last year’s rookie quarterback Tom Savage are all working their way back from various injuries.

Mallett landed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle in late November. Fitzpatrick started 12 games for the Texans before suffering a season-ending leg injury in a Week 15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Savage, who entered in relief of Fitzpatrick, injured his knee in the same game. Keenum started the last two games — both wins.