Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills flashed some potential in his rookie season, despite the club going 4-13 and the third-rounder posting a 2-9 record as a starter.
The Texans went 2-3 in the final five games, including a win over the playoff-chasing Los Angeles Chargers, who were alive in the final game of the season. Mills had a 102.4 passer rating with a 9-2 touchdown to interception ratio.
However, the Texans should still look at other quarterback options available in the 2022 offseason.
So says Sam Monson from Pro Football Focus. Monson evaluated all 32 teams’ quarterback situations and lumped the Texans in with the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, and New York Giants as teams that need to explore options in the 2022 offseason.
Expectations for rookie Davis Mills were not high entering the season or when he first got an opportunity to start for the Texans. The team has a terrible supporting cast, and Mills did not have encouraging college tape. Yet, he flashed real potential across 13 games, throwing six more big-time throws than 2021 second overall pick Zach Wilson over almost 100 fewer attempts.
Mills’ adjusted completion rate ranked second only to Mac Jones among the rookies, and his best performances came against the best teams he faced. Mills likely still isn’t the long-term answer for the Texans, but he may have earned the chance to start another year while they try and bridge the talent gap everywhere else on the roster. He has at least done enough that they don’t need to do everything in their power to pursue a quarterback.
General manager Nick Caserio lauded Mills’ rookie season when speaking with reporters on Jan. 14, but also stressed he has room for improvement.
“When you look at him relative to some of the other rookie quarterbacks that played last season, you can make an argument that he was just as good or better than any one of them,” Caserio said. “What does that mean for next year? That doesn’t really mean anything. We felt Davis was a good player when we drafted him and some of the things that you saw from him this season were confirmation of that. He’s got a long way to go as well and he’d be the first to tell you that.”
The Texans will need to explore options at quarterback nevertheless as Jeff Driskel converted to tight end and Tyrod Taylor’s contract is up.