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.

2. He stood in the line of fire and got better

The best thing about the 2021 season of Davis Mills was seeing him take all the hits, have the tough start to his career, and still show improvement as the season progressed at the end of the year.

The Texans made Mills earn his spot in ’22 by making him go through some very tough battles in ’21. At least from this viewpoint Mills passed the test and showed he’s more than capable of being a solid NFL quarterback.

Since last season Houston has made some decisions for their offense and team which will help build up Mills, starting with making Pep Hamilton the offensive coordinator. The former Texans QB coach is now back being an offensive coordinator and that will pay huge dividends to Mills this upcoming season.

Not only adding Hamilton as OC, the Texans are better at running back with Marlon Mack signed in free agency, and they also drafted a power back, Dameon Pierce, who will be a difference maker on the offense.

The o-line is better already with Houston drafting Kenyon Green, and if he plays guard, he’ll be on the inside of either Tytus Howard or Laremy Tunsil, which protects Mills better than at any point last season.

Mills took his lumps in ’21, and though his second half of the season was much better than the first half, the quarterback became a better player because of being thrown in the line of fire, seeing what adjustments he needed to make, even if it was a painful process.

Mills proved in those moments he’s a much better quarterback than given credit for.

1. The best is yet to come from the Houston QB

The Texans are in a rebuild process and even though on paper they had a very solid draft, there is still much work ahead for Mills and the rest of the team.

One positive aspect that stands out from Mills last season is in his final five starts he completed no less than 63-percent of his passes in a given game, including 77.78 percent of his passes against the Los Angeles Chargers. That was a game in Week 16 where Mills was 21-of-27 for 254 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Against the Seattle Seahawks, Mills had his most passing yards in a game, as the Week 14 contest saw him go 33-of-49 (67-percent completion) for 331 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

If Mills stays as accurate as he was in ’21 and keeps away from four-interception games like his did in the latter half of his rookie season it will be exciting to watch his progression from year one to year two.

There is also the fact the as mentioned before the offensive line will be better, the rushing game will be better, and Mills has in-game experience to show he’s not the worst quarterback in the AFC like some have said this offseason in various rankings on social media.

Mills will prove many wrong this ’22 season, and though the Texans are still not at the top of the game, don’t be surprised to see Mills lead Houston to a better record, and have better overall play by him and the rest of the offense.

The Houston QB is a better quarterback than he’s been perceived to be this offseason, and he’ll show the rest of the NFL in 2022.