A year ago, general manager Nick Caserio may have had to sell potential Houston Texans coaches on the notion of how they could win back disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson — or, how trading the reigning NFL passing champion would accelerate the rebuild and put them back in competitive position.
Ultimately, the Texans settled on David Culley as coach, and the decision to move on from Watson was made clear when they drafted Davis Mills in the third round, the first selection of the Caserio era.
With the Texans looking for Culley’s replacement after just one season, the question surrounding Houston’s quarterback situation is different than it was a year ago.
Is Davis Mills a selling point for a coaching candidate?
Assuredly rookie of the year Justin Herbert was a key part of Brandon Staley’s decision to take the Los Angeles Chargers job. Similarly the Jacksonville Jaguars winning the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes was probably enticing to Urban Meyer to make his NFL debut.
Mills may not offer the Texans a superstar under center for years to come the way Herbert did for the Chargers, but he does offer a level of stability. A new coach taking over for the 4-13 Texans won’t have to worry about settling a quarterback battle throughout the spring and training camp. Mills already won that battle when he beat out Jeff Driskel as the backup and Tyrod Taylor as the starter throughout the season. His 2-3 record down the final five games and 9-2 touchdown to interception ratio with a 102.4 passer rating may have already chased away any challengers the organization had in mind for free agency or the draft.
What Mills showed in his rookie year is that he meets the challenges, albeit step by step. If a new coach is willing to allow Mills to grow and assemble a culture and roster around him, the Texans’ turnaround may not be that far away.
