Davis Mills' status as the backup should have never been in doubt

Too often people look at a good player, buried on a roster of great talent, and say "Trade him". As if the potential draft pick they get back could match the talent they're giving up. Most draft picks fail. Especially late-round draft picks. When you talk about trading a guy like Davis Mills, all you're getting back is a late-round pick. A pick that likely won't ever be as good as Mills, who may just be a top-32 quarterback in the NFL right now.

So why trade away such talent? The outcome of a football game isn't determined by the few superstars on a team, but by the second-string guys who can step in and make a difference when called upon. A team's depth is the key factor for its success, especially at quarterback. Mills is one of those guys who can start and be successful in the NFL.

Sure, his win-loss record wasn't great when he was the Texans' starter, but he's already one of the best in franchise history at his position. A bit of a sad statement to make but a true one nonetheless. So it made no sense to subject Mills to trade rumors when he means more to the Texans on the team than he does anywhere else. After all, look how bad the offense struggled last year with Case Keenum at the helm.

So it made sense that Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans would favor going with Mills. What doesn't make a lot of sense is why it took so long.

Mills should have been announced as the backup to CJ. Stroud to start the preseason, but he should've been the team's backup last season when Stroud went down for several games due to injury. Mills eventually took over for Keenum, but it shouldn't have taken that long either.

Make no doubt, if Stroud misses any serious time, the team will be in good hands with Mills. He's not better than Stroud by any means, but this team is lucky to have the pair of them as their quarterbacks.