The Houston Texans started the 2021 preseason at loose ends at the quarterback position.
Deshaun Watson essentially told the Texans he would not play this season, and he has not.
Currently, he is listed as QB3 on the depth chart.
The Texans made a go of it with veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor who lost his job when he got injured.
The rookie, Davis Mills, is now the starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
Mills is definitely making the most of his moment.
Who Is Davis Mills?
Most games with a 130+ Passer Rating among rookies this season
Davis Mills 2
Mac Jones 1
Everyone else 0 pic.twitter.com/4RvBxtokC9— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 27, 2021
Mills was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft at No. 67 overall.
He played college football at Stanford and was a low profile quarterback in the draft compared to the headliners (Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones) who went in the first round.
Davis Mills has been the second-best QB in this draft class but no one watches the Texans.
And if you swapped Mills’ situation with Mac, I think he’d be No. 1
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) December 26, 2021
Mills has started nine games this season.
The first seven starts were rough including a four-interception performance against the Buffalo Bills.
After going 0-7, he has put together two solid games and led his team to a two-game winning streak.
Mills’ Victories
The wins came in Weeks 15 and 16 to teams on opposite ends of the spectrum.
In Week 15, he led the Texans to victory over Lawrence’s Jacksonville Jaguars by the score of 30-16.
He completed 19 passes in the game, and two were touchdowns.
In Week 16, his team defeated another young quarterback whose team is in playoff contention.
The Texans beat Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers by the score of 41-29.
Mills completed 21 passes; two were touchdowns.
Against the Chargers, Mills also had the support of a solid running game with 149 rushing yards by Rex Burkhead.
Mills seems to be settling in with the roster he has.
He is not overshooting or trying to do too much; he is making it work.
Former Georgia Bulldog and North Paulding (GA) WR Chris Conley with a TD grab for the Texans.
Georgia native and former GAC (GA) 5-star QB Davis Mills with the toss pic.twitter.com/Hc6whCTMJX
— Matt DeBary (@MattDeBary) December 26, 2021
Mills will be tested in the final two games of the season.
The Texans go on the road to play the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, and they host the Tennessee Titans in Week 18.
Mills Continues To Improve
Davis Mills' last three starts:
🌲 794 passing yards
🌲 5 TDs
🌲 2-1 record @StanfordFball pic.twitter.com/F3sN3CvSRP— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) December 27, 2021
His teammates have noticed how hard he works and how much he is improving.
Wide receiver Brandin Cooks talked about Mills back in October.
“He’s growing every day, every week and every game that he gets a chance to go out there and play. You continue to see him get better and learn from the little things and come out and practice and work on them. He’s going to continue to grow, and he has the right mindset for sure.”
Mills is a student of the game and seeks the advice of experienced players like Cooks as well as offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton, and head coach David Culley.
As for the Texans, this is a team that started the season in shambles with the Watson debacle, but they are ending it on a positive note with Mills’ performance.
NEXT: Tyrod Taylor Continues To Have Rotten Luck As A Starter