The Houston Texans are putting it all on Davis Mills’ right arm for 2022.
According to Kambui Bomani from Pro Football Focus, the fact the Texans are turning to the former 2021 third-rounder from Stanford makes it the biggest storyline for the Texans in mandatory minicamp.
Head coach Lovie Smith has his work cut out for him as the Texans continue to rebuild following their trade of quarterback Deshaun Watson. Leading the charge will be second-year quarterback Davis Mills, who has another season to prove his worth after solid performances versus the Chargers (74.8 passing grade) and Titans (80.6 passing grade) to end the 2021 campaign. How he jells within a new-look offense during mandatory workouts can set the tone for the team and his NFL future this upcoming season.
However, the development of Mills really isn’t that big of a story.
Mills isn’t going against adequate competition at starting quarterback. Kyle Allen, Jeff Driskel, and Kevin Hogan are all in support roles. Mills is getting the first-team reps and has already thrown over 300 passes in team portion.
The Texans are committed to Mills no matter what. Only if he struggles is the quarterback position a storyline. Otherwise, there really aren’t any developments on the field general front because the competition is closed and the Texans are all-in on Mills.
The run game is a far bigger storyline for Houston than Mills. For the past two seasons, the Texans’ run game has been dismal with 2021 the worst year as Houston finished last in yards per carry (3.4) and yards per game (83.6). As was the case in 2020, no matter how proficient the quarterback play is, if the run game is nonexistent, the Texans are capped at the four-win mark. How Dameon Pierce understands his assignments and melds with the offense will reveal more about the direction of the Texans in 2022 than Mills’ development throughout minicamp.
