Should the Houston Texans Roll With Davis Mills At QB In 2022?

Could the Houston Texans bypass quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft and roll with Davis Mills in 2022?

The Houston Texans are a franchise sitting in an incredibly weird spot. They have a franchise quarterback facing serious off-field allegations and have a roster full of players on one and two-year deals. Facing a 2021 NFL Draft with a serious lack of selections, the Texans did their best, getting some potential offensive contributors in Nico Collins and Brevin Jordan. They also landed a quarterback in Stanford’s Davis Mills.

Mills sat behind veteran Tyrod Taylor for a couple weeks before getting his first start. He got snaps in relief against the Browns, and didn’t make things much better, completing just 44 percent of his passes. He hasn’t had a great stretch of football as a rookie, save for the Rams and Patriots games. The Rams game was mostly a game of chasing, but Mills actually played some impressive ball against the Patriots defense, showing off some precision on deeper throws and taking advantage of buying some time with his legs to find openings.

The last two weeks against the Seahawks and Jaguars have been solid for Mills as well. Yes, of course the Seahawks and Jaguars aren’t defenses to necessarily hang your hat on as far as excellent performances, but completing his first 14 passes against Seattle was impressive. Mills has shown poise, processing skills, and touch on the ball to make plays for the Texans and help lead them to wins.

The Houston Texans will face the Chargers, 49ers, and Titans to close the season, teams who have impressive fronts that can get after the quarterback. It’ll be a good test for Davis Mills to see how he performs in those games, especially this week which could be a game without Brandin Cooks.

If he plays well and continues to show flashes, should the Texans just roll with Mills in 2022? It’s an interesting question that doesn’t present an easy answer.

It’s fair to state that the 2022 NFL Draft doesn’t feature a Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, or a Kyler Murray that is a clear guy to take in the top five of a draft. There’s (hopefully) bound to be a good starter in the NFL in the mix here, but it’s a big risk to take, especially presuming the Texans pick in said top five.

The quarterback class definitely features some guys later on day two and day three worth taking flyers on to become a potential starter, or at the least, a strong backup. However, that process is quite similar to the approach Houston took last year in selecting Mills.

For a franchise like the Houston Texans, it’s a tough call. On one hand, giving the fanbase hope that the next franchise quarterback is coming through the door is important for ticket sales, jersey sales, and just general interest in the team.

However, in a long rebuild like this is, getting a blue chip player (Evan Neal, Kyle Hamilton, etc.) might make more sense to get cornerstone pieces into the building and see what you have in Davis Mills in 2022. Then, if things don’t workout with (hopefully) a better offensive line and more talent in the building, you go big in 2023 to get a quarterback in what should be a stronger class.

The waiting game is a risk as well, but so is risking a top pick on a quarterback to forego getting top talent. The Houston Texans will ultimately decide, but running with Davis Mills with an improved roster feels like the way to go.