Sunday’s loss to the Giants dropped to the Texans to 1-7-1 on the season, leading to more questions about a potential quarterback change. As head coach Lovie Smith confirmed when speaking to the media, however, a switch will not be taking place. 
Davis Mills has operated as the team’s No. 1 throughout the campaign, after he took on the starter’s role partway through his rookie season last year. The Stanford alum’s performance after being inserted into the lineup included 10 interceptions and 31 sacks taken. Still, his 66.8% completion percentage and 88.8 passer rating made it little surprise that he entered the post-Deshaun Watson era at the top of the depth chart.
Mills has seen statistical regression across the board this season, however. The 24-year-old was therefore the subject of scrutiny last month, but he received the backing of his head coach. Since then, the Texans have won just one game and struggled to find production on offense outside of rookie running back Dameon Pierce.
“I just don’t think it’s time, as simple as that,” Smith said, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, when asked whether he would replace Mills. “We rotate pretty much at most positions… Quarterback position is a little bit different. We can’t turn the ball over. Acknowledging what we did [on Sunday] is not good enough and anytime we’re turning the ball over especially in the red zone it’s not good enough. But that’s where we are right now.”
Houston’s other options under center are Kyle Allen and Jeff Driskel, who is on the team’s practice squad. Mills therefore profiles as the QB with the highest upside in the group, making the Texans’ ongoing commitment to him an understandable one. Given the former third-rounder’s step back in production this year, however, along with the draft position Houston is likely to be in come the spring, it would be equally understandable if they select a franchise signal-caller in time for 2023.
It was worth taking a flyer on Mills given the “I ain’t playing” ultimatum the previous starting QB had given the team – but the jury has returned their verdict – Mills doesn’t have the skill set needed to be an NFL starter. Oh, he’s reasonably athletic and has adequate arm strength, but he lacks downfield awareness, and has no ability to turn a bad play call into something better. He’s just going to run the play exactly as it was given to him and if his Joe Average receiver isn’t open, well too bad, as the ball is still going to be thrown that way. Some of that can be papered over by adjusting play calls but when it is third and 10 you need someone who can make an NFL-level play.
He’s shown me he is likely a backup QB, probably for a while. Nothing wrong with that for a 3rd rounder. Just not talented enough to be a starter.
Mills is admittedly horrible on third and ten but his passer rating on 3rd and 7-9 is 30 points higher than Tom Brady’s.
There’s little to no upside to starting either of those backups over Mills. Continue with Mills and draft a QB, I would even start Mills (or a reasonably priced Free agent QB on a one year deal) next year too since they’re not a QB away from contention.
Exactly. Both of them have proven they’re not starting QBs, either. Just roll with Mills, collect your top 3 pick in the draft, and select a QB next year.
Couldn’t agree more.
The whole team has regressed. This is a result of a pathetic coaching staff. Who knows how good are any of the players. Next years Drafted QB will be wasted if they keep the same coaching staff.
They don’t have a very good coaching staff and Smith has no business being a head coach in 2022, but it’s also really not a talented roster. I don’t think any coach would make this group a decent team.
It’s sad when David Cauley will have a better record with less talent
They did wrong by Culley. They couldn’t possibly have asked more of him when they hired him. It was a decimated roster in an awkward, disheartening position with the guy who was supposed to be QB. Granted, two of those wins were against perhaps the most dysfunctional season in Jaguars history–which is saying a lot–but last year’s team legit could have gone winless. This year’s roster isn’t exactly light years better–the most significant talent they added was largely rookies at positions that generally don’t excel right out the gate. This is not a roster designed to win anything right now. If they were going to fire Culley, it should only have been because they were bringing in a longer-term answer for coach, which obviously isn’t Smith.
How many coaching staffs excel in their first season? Lovie Smith took a team to a SB so you could do a lot worse.
That was 17 seasons, several jobs ago, and specializing in a defense that the rest of the NFL–even other Dungy disciples–have had to abandon because it doesn’t work anymore. After going 8-24 for Tampa and 17-39 in college, I don’t think it’s reasonable to judge Smith’s current qualifications by what he did in Chicago.
No matter how good a coach is he can’t achieve much without talent and I don’t think the Bucs or Illinois had an abundance of that.
Culley did better with less. Nuff said.
Lovie killed mills. He was decent as a rookie, but Lovie smith proves time and again he can’t run a competent offense anywhere he goes