Houston Texans defensive tackle Maliek Collins is pleased with the way rookie quarterback Davis Mills finished out the season.
The Texans were on the cusp of sweeping the Tennessee Titans for the first time since 2015, but weren’t able to complete the comeback 28-25 Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium.
Mills wasn’t the problem, but part of the solution to the comeback as he completed 23-of-33 for 301 yards and three touchdowns with a 128.5 passer rating.
Collins shared with reporters after the loss that sent Houston to 4-13 that he liked the way the third-round pick from Stanford played throughout the 2021 campaign.
“Man, for real, for the way it started for him — you know he kind of had a rough start — to the way he finished, I’m proud of that guy,” said Collins, who had two combined tackles, 1.0 sack, two quarterback hits, and a tackle for loss. “I was just thinking about talking to him when I was in the locker room just to tell him how he didn’t blink at all.”
Mills was baptized by fire starting in Week 2 when he had to relieve Tyrod Taylor after halftime of a 14-14 ballgame at the Cleveland Browns. Mills would go on to start the next six games thereafter with Houston enduring a brutal seven-game losing streak, including the Browns game.
However, when Mills got his opportunity again in Week 14, the rookie looked more poised.
Said Collins: “He stepped in for Tyrod when Tyrod got hurt, and then he came back in on the back end of the season, and I’ve really seen growth in that guy, and I’ve seen the potential that we all thought he had in the beginning. I’m proud of the way he finished the season.”
The Texans enter the offseason with a top-5 pick in the 2022 NFL draft. It may be safe to say that Mills’ play on the back end of the season could steer the scouting department from looking at quarterbacks in the draft.