3 reasons Davis Mills is better than he’s perceived

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills is better than many believe.

When thinking about the rookie season of Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills, it is tough to describe all that he battled though and accomplished in 2021. There was the start of him being a third round draft pick with his role being to play behind veteran starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor, learning about the NFL as he arrived to Houston via the Stanford Cardinal.

Then things changed quickly as Taylor was injured in Week 2 — following a Week 1 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars — and that meant it was time for Mills to face NFL level defenses head on and without much warning.

Mills’ first stint as a starter for the Texans wasn’t a thing of beauty, and though there were some solid efforts in his first five starts, there were also five straight losses with a lot of learning ahead.

After the Texans’ coaching staff benched Taylor with five games left in the ’21 regular season it was time for Mills to shaw what he was capable of achieving. Being a rookie, Mills played well and showed the potential to be a very good quarterback this upcoming season.

Here is the thing about Mills … he’s being underrated and undervalued, and because the Texans won four games and lost 13 games in ’21, many haven’t given him the proper credit he deserves.

That should change as the offseason continues, because it is time to start looking closer at Mills and exactly what he brings to the Texans for the ’22 season and beyond.

Next are three reasons why Texans quarterback Davis Mills is better than he’s perceived.

3. He played well with not the best offense surrounding him in 2021

The Texans had basically zero rushing game in ’21, and when the best overall day by any Houston rusher in ’21 was Rex Burkhead, that is enough explanation there. No offense to Burkhead, but he’s not like having former Texans great Arian Foster in the backfield.

Mills threw for 2,664 yards in the 13 games (11 starts) he played in last season, totaling 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Eight of Mills’ 10 interceptions came in his first stint as a starter, and half of those eight interceptions were in a game against the Buffalo Bills.

It was evident the offense had a lot of struggles last season, and even with all of that, in his final five starts of the season Mills managed to throw only two interceptions and showed the poise and improvement needed to stay in the starting role moving forward.