Texans send powerful message to C.J. Stroud in first practice
Organized team activities are underway in Houston, and the message is being sent that every starting spot will have to be earned. New head coach DeMeco Ryans has discussed the importance of building a strong culture in Houston. Former 49er Jimmie Ward also stressed this point during his introductory press conference. With that in mind, […]
Organized team activities are underway in Houston, and the message is being sent that every starting spot will have to be earned.
New head coach DeMeco Ryans has discussed the importance of building a strong culture in Houston. Former 49er Jimmie Ward also stressed this point during his introductory press conference.
With that in mind, Ryans was not afraid to have one of his top picks start OTAs with the second team.
Per Aaron Wilson of KPCR 2 Houston, Davis Mills took QB1 reps during drills.
Before anyone gets up in arms, no, this does not mean that Mills will be the starter in 2023. This is simply Ryans' way of respecting Mills' experience and not hanging out starting positions.
Everyone, including Mills, knows that Stroud is the future in Houston. However, Mills has been the starter for two seasons and knows the program, and has chemistry with many members of the offense. Stroud will take starter reps sooner than later.
In 28 games as the starter, Mills completed 63.6% of his passes for 5,782 yards with 33 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. In 2022, only Carson Wentz and Baker Mayfield had a lower QB rating than Mills. However, clearly the franchise still values Mills to some extent.
Either Mills or the veteran Case Keenum will be the backup to the young Stroud. The NFL's newly announced rule regarding an emergency third QB could lead to the Texans rostering all three signal-callers.
So what's the takeaway here? On DeMeco Ryans' team, everything is earned.
