C.J. Stroud is out for the Tennessee Titans matchup but who should start in his place?

The Houston Texans are going to be without their star quarterback C.J. Stroud on Sunday as the past meets the present. The former Houston Oilers, now Tennessee Titans will face off with the Houston Texans, and Stroud, the Texans star player at quarterback will be out for the matchup. Now, instead, backup quarterback Davis Mills will get the start.

Mills essentially served as the starter for the Texans over the last few seasons, 26 games along the way. Under his sted, the Texans went 5-19-1, while Mills threw for 5,806 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions. He has a respectable completion percentage, 63.4, and Mills has pretty good arm strength to go down the field when called upon.

He's got some decent legs for a man his size, and can find the endzone if he has the ball in his hands.

So now that we know that Stroud is out and Mills is in, the question quickly turns to one thought; is Mills the man for the job? Honestly, there's a part of the fandom that liked Mills and his arm. Had he not turned the ball over so often, there may have been a stronger contingent getting their vote to be the team's starting quarterback. He's not bad by any means, but he's just not as good as Stroud.

But is he better than Case Keenum, the team's third quarterback? Keenum has had his fair share of success in the league and was even the offensive catalyst for the Minnesota Vikings in 2017, but outside of that short stint, the journeymen quarterback has not looked that good ever again.

Keenum is accurate across a short distance, but he's not known for his deep bombs, so trying to push the action downfield won't be a regular occurrence if he were to start. And while the Texans are down two deep threats, they still have Noah Brown, so there is still a receiver who can go over the top of a defense. Could Keenum get the most out of Brown? Probably not, which is where the problem lies.

Mills may not be as great of a threat as Stroud under center, and he may be more turnover-prone than Keenum, but Mills gives you far more big-play-potential than Keenum, and that's why it makes sense to go with him for the start.