Should the Houston Texans trade Davis Mills?

The Houston Texans drafted Davis Mills in the third round of the 2021 draft with the hopes he would become their franchise guy. However, that hope never became a reality, and now CJ Stroud is the new guy in town. As Mills is entering year four and with Case Keenum already on the roster, it's fair to ask the question. Should the Houston Texans trade the guy who started 26 games for them?

The Texans will have to decide soon because they’re not keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. However, his production this preseason will have teams calling for him. The Texans won’t be shipping him off because his play is bad, but because he’s been so good that his market is hot at the moment. If a team suffers an injury to their quarterback room, the Texans will be the first team to be called. 

In March, The 33rd Team named the Denver Broncos as a trade candidate and said a 2025 fourth-round pick for Davis Mills would get it done. Now, the Broncos aren’t in the market for a quarterback anymore. However, a fourth-round pick is still a realistic haul for Mills. As an example, the New York Jets received a sixth-round pick for Zach Wilson and a seventh-round pick before the draft. Considering Mills has proven more in the league, the Texans should be able to get the fourth-round pick mentioned earlier. 

The Texans may view this as an opportunity to maximize Mills’ value if they don’t plan on re-signing him. If so, the best time to make the move is before the season starts. Houston has a few weeks to make the move happen and continue to build up its draft haul for 2025. The Texans and general manager Nick Caserio may wait as long as they can before making the trade, but it’s bound to happen. Both sides can benefit from the trade and Houston doesn’t need him at this point. 

At 25 years old, Mills should be clamoring to start somewhere instead of wasting the prime years of his career on the bench. He’s proven to be a capable starter, and he can’t let any opportunity away from Houston go to waste. The Texans’ next game is this Friday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we can expect Davis Mills to play a lot in that game too. If he plays well again, calls may trickle into Caserio’s phone asking about last year’s QB2.