HOUSTON – For Texans quarterback Davis Mills, his upcoming first start since the arrival of C.J. Stroud provides a reminder of a time when the organization didn’t place its trust in him.
When Stroud was a rookie, he suffered a similar concussion against the New York Jets when his helmet crashed backwards into an unforgiving artificial turf. With Stroud out for two games, the Texans bypassed Mills and started veteran Case Keenum even though Mills was the designated backup on the depth chart.
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Instead of pouting while Keenum split two games, including an important win over the Tennessee Titans, Mills reflected on what he needed to do to make the team believe in him.
“Definitely, I think it leads you to obviously be introspective, look at yourself and what else I could be doing to really gain these guys’ trust and be as confident in my abilities as I am in myself,” Mills said. “I think I’ve worked really hard to prove to those guys that I can go out there and be successful day-in and day-out. I think I’ve shown that to my teammates as well. So, it’s going to be fun on Sunday.”
Now, Mills is one of the highest paid backups in the NFL with a one-year, $7 million extension through next season.
He’s poised to step in for Stroud on Sunday in a pivotal game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium as the 3-5 Texans try to take a step toward a .500 record and stay relevant in the AFC wild-card playoff hunt.
The Texans have seen real growth from Mills in terms of his accuracy, command of the offense, avoiding mistakes and delivering the football with zip.
“I’ve seen Davis grow and truly get better just playing the position, being able to take his time, going through his reads, going through it the proper way,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I think I’ve seen growth in that where he’s really protected the football more, made better decisions throughout training camp. I just like the progression that I saw from where we were our first year to where he is now.
“Davis, he’s a super, super smart guy, sharp guy. .. What I expect from Davis is to do what he’s done in the past. He’s started games in this league before, so there’s nothing new for him. But it is a benefit for him being able to get the reps, get the reps throughout practice, getting every single rep that he can get, getting on the same page with the receivers, getting the huddle, getting the snap count, all those little things, getting the operation down the proper way. He’s done a good job of that. So, I’m excited to see Davis go play.”
This marks Mills’ first start since the end of the 2022 season when the former third-round draft pick from Stanford led the Texans to a comeback victory over the Indianapolis Colts with a touchdown pass and two-point conversion pass to tight end Jordan Akins.
Ironically, that win cost the Texans the first overall pick of the draft as they wound up drafting Stroud second overall, one pick after the Carolina Panthers selected quarterback Bryce Young.
“Obviously I’m ready,” Mills said. “That’s kind of how I prepare week in, week out. I’ve always had the mindset that you could play at any given snap. Unfortunately, what happened to C.J. in the game, I got thrown in there. But, that’s what I get paid to do. Always be prepared. It’s nice having a full week of practice going into this game to attack this defense and go out there and lead the guys.
“I wouldn’t say I’d feel too different. I’ve always been confident in my abilities to go out there and lead the team to wins. I think I’m grateful for the opportunity. Obviously, there’s only 32 guys starting for NFL teams in the league. Excited to go out and do that and have a good game and lead the guys to victory, hopefully.”
With Stroud, a former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, sidelined with a concussion after absorbing a scary hit Sunday against the Denver Broncos on an unpenalized hit from cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, Mills is QB1 and the man of the moment for the Texans.
“C.J. Stroud will be out this week,” Ryans said.
The Texans replaced Stroud on Sunday with Mills, who struggled with his accuracy against the Broncos’ formidable defense.
He completed 17 of 30 throws for 137 yards with no scores and no interceptions. After halftime, Mills went 7 for 16 for 53 yards as the offense mustered no real production.
They went 0 for 3 in the red zone overall and 3 for 17 on third downs.
Stroud completed 6 of 10 passes for 79 yards before getting hurt.
Mills has a 5-19-1 all-time record as a starter and has completed 62.3 percent of his career throws for 6,327 yards, 35 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.
Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley was extremely enthusiastic about Mills on Thursday.
“He’s a pro’s pro, he’s really smart,” Caley said. “He approaches every single day with the right attitude. He’s locked in and he handles everything, operation. He’s into the game. He’s into the game plan. He studies football. I have a lot of faith in him. He’s been awesome to be around.
“He’s sharp. The mechanics of playing the quarterback position, he does extremely well. He’s a competitor. He takes a lot of pride in it. He has great rapport. He’s a good communicator. He’s got good talent. He can throw the ball. He’s played the game. He’s played plenty of football before. We’re lucky to have him and I’m excited to just continue to work through the week. He’s done a really nice job.”
It’s possible that Mills be starting more than one game.
Usually, players who suffer a concussion miss at least one game. In the case of Stroud, he was sidelined for two games when he suffered a similar type of concussion as a rookie against the Jets. Both times, the back of his head crashed into the ground as he was sent flailing backwards.
Unlike last week when he stepped in for Stroud, Mills gets the first-team snaps all week and his preparation can match his skills.
“Normal NFL practices, the backup quarterback’s not getting most of the reps throughout the week,” Mills said. “So, it’s nice having a game plan built around you and being able to rep all those plays throughout the week to see the different defensive looks from the look team and go out there and execute the plays early in the week so you can make it work on Sunday.”
Mills has a lot of familiarity and chemistry with Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins, who was drafted the same year as him.
He’s thrown a lot of passes to the Texans’ top downfield target and they have chemistry and timing working in their favor.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Mills said. “Obviously got drafted here with Nico back in 2021. I’ve thrown a lot of footballs to him over my time. Then this offseason, when the rookies were new to the team, I got a lot of reps with them in the spring and during camp and built a lot of trust with those guys. So, it’s going to be good to continue working with them and spread the ball around.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com