Davis Mills feeling more comfortable as Texans QB

What has Texans QB Davis Mills been up to this offseason?

When the Houston Texans drafted Davis Mills as a third-round pick in 2021, did they really think he was going to be their starting quarterback when Week 3 of that season arrived?

Of course they didn’t as the former Stanford quarterback had his share of struggles in his first stint under center (six starts) for Houston, but after he was named the starter with five games left in the season, he was a completely different player at the end of the season.

That experience, the positives, the negatives and everything in between bring Mills to this current offseason where he has a new offensive coordinator with Pep Hamilton being promoted from being the QB coach last season.

Hamilton has the knowledge and experience of working with young quarterback and building an offense as he previously did that with the Indianapolis Colts, having Andrew Luck as his starting quarterback for a time.

Now in ’22, Mills is the QB who is working to be his best with Hamilton as his coordinator. Mills spoke about having Hamilton as his OC, and what has been his “biggest area of growth” this offseason, as Mills spoke with the Houston media (transcripts provided by HoustonTexans.com):

"“I like him a lot. He’s been coaching the quarterback position for years now, so he really understands what we see back there and how we can react to things and how we can progress forward after bad plays.”"

Mills continued to talk about Hamilton and what it is like working with the veteran coach:

"“We have a really good connection in that regard. We feel like we’re on a really good similar page with a lot of things, so we’re excited how everything is moving.”"

How refreshing to see the Texans are having some positives right now, because after consecutive four-win seasons and everything else that happened last year, something positive is a welcome addition to Houston this offseason.

Speaking of positivity, here is Mills talking about his growth as a QB since last season:

"“I think one big thing that’s helped me a lot is just comfortability out there. Just having experience and being able to make fast, smart decisions and protect the football.”"

Texans: Where do Mills and company go from here?

As training camp inches closer, starting this August, and the end of mini camps and OTAs nearing, knowing that Texans quarterback Davis Mills is improving and hearing what he’s thinking this offseason makes for some possible exciting moments in ’22.

Mills had a decent season for a rookie thrown into the fire last year, but of course there are parts of his game he’ll need to improve on, but that’s what the offseason and camps are for.

Mills saying he’s more comfortable is a great thing to know, plus hopefully having a healthy offensive line, better players at running back and a potential wide receiver group that can produce will make this team much better than previous seasons.

If Mills and Hamilton are on the same page as they seem to be, and Mills shows that improvement, the Texans will be better than a four-win team, and it will be a step in the right direction.

The most important step in the rebuild is Mills being an improved starting quarterback, because there is pressure on him with the ’23 NFL Draft as the QBs in that class are said to be a very strong class.

What are your thoughts on Mills, and do you believe he’ll be improved overall compared to his rookie season?