Texans Turn to Davis Mills as C.J. Stroud Enters Concussion Protocol
HOUSTON — Davis Mills took the snap Wednesday afternoon, scanned the field and delivered the football with zip and accuracy into the outstretched hands of Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins.
It was like old times for the Texans’ quarterback, a former starter drafted in the third round out of Stanford five years ago.
What’s different, though, now is that Mills, one of the highest paid backups in the NFL after signing a one-year, $7 million contract extension earlier this season, is now the Texans’ QB1.
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‘It’s like old times’: Mills steps back into QB1 spotlight
With starting quarterback C.J. Stroud, a former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, sidelined with a concussion after absorbing a scary hit Sunday against the Denver Broncos, Mills is preparing to make his first regular-season start since the end of the 2022 season.
Ironically, that comeback victory Mills engineered over the Indianapolis Colts cost the Texans the first overall pick and led to the AFC South franchise drafting Stroud second overall out of Ohio State…
Now, Mills gets the football Sunday for a pivotal home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Stroud suffered the concussion Sunday on an unpenalized hit former cornerback Kris Abrams- Draine while sliding against the Broncos.
No doubt: Stroud set to miss Jaguars showdown
“For where we are right now with the concussion protocol, I do not see C.J. playing this week,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “C.J. Stroud will be out this week.”
The Texans replaced Stroud on Sunday with Mills, who struggled with his accuracy against the Broncos’ formidable defense.
Shaky relief outing, but a full week to reset
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.
Stroud completed 6 of 10 passes for 79 yards before getting hurt.
Mills is the next man up for the Texans as he’ll prepare to face the Jaguars by taking the first-team snaps in practice this week and make his first start since the 2002 season, the year before Stroud was drafted second overall out of Ohio State.
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.
‘Super smart, super sharp’: Texans trust Mills to command the huddle
“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,” Ryans said. “ But it is a benefit for him being able to get the reps, get the reps throughout practice, getting the walkthrough reps, 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. Today he did an outstanding job. I thought we were efficient in and out of the huddle. At the line of scrimmage, he did a great job of communicating. So, I’m excited to see Davis go play.
“Davis, he’s a super, super smart guy, sharp guy. Just seeing how he operates in the huddle and seeing how he can fix things when we’re not all the way right. When guys are coming out of the huddle and they have questions, Davis gets it fixed very quickly, articulates it very well in the huddle. Now it’s about post-nap. Post-nap, can we go through, can we make the proper reads, can we get to the right spot with the football and can we just execute. Davis doesn’t have to do too much. We just all have to do our 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 New York Jets when he was hit by Quinnen Williams. Both times, the back of his head crashed into the ground as he was sent flailing backwards.
‘I’m always ready’: Mills embraces the moment
“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.”
Unlike previous weeks when he’s 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 [scout] team and go out there and execute the plays early in the week so you can make it work on Sunday.
“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.”
Two seasons ago, Mills was the backup on the depth chart ahead of Case Keenum. However, the Texans bypassed Mills and went with Keenum as the starter for two games in a row. Keenum won a key game over the Tennessee Titans and lost a start against the Cleveland Browns before Stroud returned.
Snubbed before, determined now: Mills writing his second-chance script
Not getting to start provided motivation for Mills:
“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.”
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