Many left Davis Mills’ sophomore preseason debut disappointed last week. The Houston Texans tasked their young signal caller with only throwing three passes and the offense went three-and-out on consecutive drives. Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton was clearly looking to protect his quarterback and just try to get players up to full game speed.
After the game head coach Lovie Smith preached that Mills and the whole offense would get their reps eventually and that there was plenty of time left in the preseason. Those comments came to full fruition on Friday evening as Mills and some members of the first team offense played the entire first half in their 24-20 the reigning champion Los Angeles Rams.
Mills completed 10 of 17 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown during the first half which included an end zone lob to Nico Collins as time expired to put the team up 7-6. In particular, he flashed chemistry with Collins, a fellow 2021 third-rounder, who he targeted six times and was able to complete four passes for 48 yards.
Overall on the night, it wasn’t Mills best. Several throws did not have the ball placement you would hope for from someone who has been hailed as Houston’s next potential franchise signal caller. None of Mills mistakes in a vacuum were devastating, however the compounding of throws that were just not quite where they needed to be could cost the team in the regular season. One ball in particular sailed on Mills when targeting Chris Moore and was nearly intercepted by Decobie Durant.
Some were inflated at the presence of first down and the late touchdowns despite a bland preseason script. Others were left wondering about the 2023 quarterback class and if Houston should begin scouting the likes of Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud
It would appear it took the timeline two preseason games to allow themselves to re-engage in the CJ Stroud vs. Bryce Young conversation
Oof #WeAreTexans
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) August 20, 2022
The performance included a multitude of curls and check downs to Rex Burkhead with only three vertical throws that brought a wide variety of results. The throw to Moore was nearly intercepted, a sideline pass to Phillip Dorsett drew a penalty, and the final one was the touchdown pass to Collins.
It was a fine performance for Mills and one that the offense will have to hope to build on. It’s hard to fully judge the offense when their best running back, rookie Dameon Pierce, and their best receiver, Brandin Cooks, aren’t on the field for offensive coordinator Hamilton to utilize.
Fans will have to see how Mills follows up the performance next week against the San Francisco 49ers.
John Crumpler has written for the Texans Wire since 2019 and is a PFWA member. Follow him on Twitter @JohnHCrumpler and catch him on The Backpedal Podcast.
