Davis Mills seems to think the Houston Texans have two quarterbacks, and not just C.J. Stroud.
Eventually, someone will have to tell Davis Mills why the Houston Texans drafted C.J. Stroud.
The former five-star quarterback coming out of high school played precisely 14 games for the Stanford Cardinal before turning pro in 2021. Stroud started 13 games for the playoff-bound Ohio State Buckeyes just last season. He was also a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist and one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in Columbus. That is why the Texans drafted him No. 2 overall!
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Davis Mills says he is here to compete for Houston Texans QB job with C.J. Stroud
Look. Nothing has been easy for Mills since leaving Greater Atlanta Christian for Stanford. He was seen as the best quarterback in state in his high school draft class, but only one of them will have a statue in his name, image and likeness in The Classic City. Stetson Bennett IV just needs to graduate first… Mills went to Stanford and the program disintegrated under Davis Shaw's watch.
Getting drafted by the Texans wasn't going to be easy. Mills had to replace the best quarterback in franchise history in persona non grata Deshaun Watson. But he did have an opportunity, just not a great one. Whether it be David Culley or Lovie Smith, Mills is now on his third head coach in as many NFL seasons out of Stanford. DeMeco Ryans is back in Houston looking to change fortunes.
Coming out of Ohio State, I view Stroud as the next Derek Carr, a quarterback capable of stabilizing a chaotic organization to some degree, but never fully able to overcome it. The Las Vegas Raiders have been that for over two decades now, while Houston has had a ton of problems of late, and especially since kicking Bill O'Brien to the curb. Stroud, Ryans and others will face big challenges.
Although Mills could have staying power in the NFL because of his blue-chip traits coming out, he may have to accept he is going to be a journeyman or a high-level backup going forward. There is nothing wrong with that, but he is not a franchise quarterback. If he was, Houston would have traded back from No. 2 and not drafted Stroud out of Ohio State in the first place. A novel concept!
Overall, he can battle as hard as he wants to during the offseason program and training camp, but Stroud is going to start at some point this season, possibly even in Week 1. Mills can still have success in Houston and in the league, but he is not going to get the benefit of the doubt like Stroud will in this situation. It's the way she goes, and Mills is just going to have to accept this fact.
Houston will only get out of its own way if everyone involved starts pulling in the same direction.