The Houston Texans have their starting quarterback, along with out-of-this-world expectations. But on Thursday night, the Texans got a reminder they have a fairly decent backup quarterback when Davis Mills went viral after a wild drive in the Hall of Fame game against the Bears.
Mills engineered a 16-play, 69-yard drive that he capped with a 9-yard touchdown toss to Teagan Quitoriano. Not only did Mills look sharp throwing the ball on the drive, he also had a play on a previous possession where he side-stepped a pass rusher and connected with Ben Skowronek for a 27-yard gain.
Texans backup QB Davis Mills a decent option
When it comes to second-string quarterbacks, not all NFL teams have as solid of an option as the Texans. Selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Mills started 26 games. He didn't win often, but part of that came as a result of a pretty bad overall football team.
Another weakness in his game proved to turnovers as he tossed 25 in his first two seasons. He settled into a backup role when the Texans drafted C.J. Stroud in 2023.
This year Mills enters training camp battling with Case Keenum and Tim Boyle for the backup quarterback spot. Keenum is the ultimate journeyman, having played 11 seasons in the NFL and appeared with six other reams: Rams, Vikings, Broncos, Commanders, Browns, and Bills. This is his second stint with the Texans, and he played in two games last season.
Because of Mills’ somewhat friendly $3.4M cap hit, he has a leg up on getting the backup gig. But he also has trade value because of his age (25) starting experience, and potential. Houston could also choose to role with Mills and Keenum on the roster.
What do Texans expect from C.J. Stroud?
It seems like everybody in Texans country expects Stroud to be even better in year two. And head coach DeMeco Ryans is in that group. He told nbcsports.com that one area stands out where Stroud can get better.
“Where can we see him grow in his second year? It’s his leadership, first and foremost — continue to become the leader that we want him to be,” Ryans said. “And it’s just in his play. It doesn’t change for C.J. or anyone else — can we get a little bit better each day? There’s no big grand thing for him, just continue to get a little bit better.”
Ryans also said Stroud took major steps in this area during the offseason.
“I think C.J. has done a really good job this offseason as a leader when it comes to working with other guys — knowing that he’s not just working by himself, but finding the avenues to get a group together and work together,” Ryans said. “That’s very important, especially when it comes to timing in the passing game for receivers and quarterbacks. They have to be in sync. And it shows that they see how important that was because guys were working together this summer.”
Stroud comes off a season where he earned AP offensive rookie of the year honors. He completed an impressive 64% of his passes for 4,108 yards with 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions. This year the Texans added standout wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a receiver room that already included potential standouts in Nico Collins and Tank Dell.
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