HOUSTON — Coach David Culley named Davis Mills the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans ahead of their Week 3 match against the Carolina Panthers. Mills will be starting in place of Tyrod Taylor, who sustained a Grade 2 hamstring strain during Houston’s 31-21 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Culley did not give an infinite answer for Taylor’s return, but the Texans will likely be without the services of their starting quarterback for at least a month.
The Texans will elevate Jeff Driskel from the practice squad as a backup quarterback for Thursday’s game. But Culley said the team will wait to see if they need to add a quarterback to their roster moving forward.
“I think [general manager] Nick (Caserio) is always looking for those kinds of things,” Culley said. “After this game, we will see where we are at and go from there.”
Amid Taylor’s absence, the Texans will have only Mills and Driskel as activated quarterbacks on their roster. On Monday, Culley dismissed all speculations about the possibility of Deshaun Watson returning to the field — stating that the three-time Pro Bowler will remain deactivated.
After subbing in for Taylor at halftime against the Browns, Mills went 8-for-18 for 102 yards, along with one touchdown and one interception during his NFL debut.
“After the game, he [Davis Mills] mention how comfortable he was, and did not feel like there was anything happening to him that he wasn’t prepared for,” Culley said. “After going back and watching the video, there wasn’t anything they did that would confuse him. He handled himself well. And I expect for him to do the same thing this week.”