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Should Mills be given the reins next season?

Texansphan

Football connoisseur
I think this is worth a thread of it's own as I can't imagine a more important question moving forward.
Mods can move it if they seem it necessary.
Has Mills done enough?
Is it worth the risk skipping a 1st round QB this draft?
What more this season, (if at all) does he need to do to take that risk?
Should Texans take a lower round prospect to compete with Mills?
Lots to mull over here.
 

Carr Bombed

Hall of Fame
Given this QB class the answer is a easy yes..

If Mills could enter this draft He could be the top one off the board..

Like true form.. When Houston is positioned to draft top 5 there isn't any QB prospects worth taking..

He'll be given the reins, because He's flashed plenty to get another look. If this was a draft loaded with top flight prospects at the top maybe not, but that isn't this class.
 

badboy

Hall of Fame
I see no choice and Mills stock is trading up for now. If Carson strong was for some reason to drop to around 6 I would consider one of those pics for him.
 

beerlover

Hall of Fame
Start Mills next season and draft for other more pressing needs. If Mills doesn't pan out, get a QB in 2023.
Could swing that way, but Texans will need a back-up QB as well. So I say if opportunity presents itself, Texans board has QB prospect 1b and is best player available, draft him. Let it play out. Hopefully either way Caserio covers his bases 👍

clearly Mills checked the boxes for Caserio. There is, believe it or not, less seasoned Stanford QB named Tanner McKee. Don’t hold me to it, but Nick might take a late round 6th or 7th rd flyer on the kid to be Mills back-up….
 
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Texansphan

Football connoisseur
Could swing that way, but Texans will need a back-up QB as well. So I say if opportunity presents itself, Texans board has QB prospect 1b and is best player available, draft him. Let it play out. Hopefully either way Caserio covers his bases 👍

clearly Mills checked the boxes for Caserio. There is, believe it or not, less seasoned Stanford QB named Tanner McKee. Don’t hold me to it, but Nick might take a late round 6th or 7th rd flyer on the kid to be Mills back-up….
Do we keep TT on board as veteran backup, or seek someone else?
 

Toro Bravo

Rookie
I don't think Mills should be given anything, other than the right to compete for the starting QB job. I expect Nick to sign a veteran QB to compete in training camp, along with an UFA. I don't want to spend draft capital on a QB when there are so many other needs and no clear "franchise" QB in the next draft. I do look forward to seeing how he has progressed against good defenses the last 2 games.
 

IDEXAN

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
I don't think Mills should be given anything, other than the right to compete for the starting QB job. I expect Nick to sign a veteran QB to compete in training camp, along with an UFA. I don't want to spend draft capital on a QB when there are so many other needs and no clear "franchise" QB in the next draft. I do look forward to seeing how he has progressed against good defenses the last 2 games.
With that handle you knew Toro Bravo had to be a hard azz.
Shouldn't be given anything but he's earned quite a bit of respect and acquired some important experience now by starting how many games,
4 or 5 ? Mahomes started just a single game in his rookie year, right ?
By all means bring a vet or two into camp after drafting a rookie in the late rounds somewhere.
 

The Pencil Neck

Hall of Fame
It's still too early for me to say one way or another.

I don't want this to be a Tom Savage situation where we hand the reins to a guy who doesn't have what it takes to be the guy.

But I also don't want to slow down Davis Mills' development by not giving him enough reps with the first team, and enough attention from the coaches to clean up his technical issues.

I just hope that THIS staff is smart enough to make the right decision.
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
I don't want this to be a Tom Savage situation where we hand the reins to a guy who doesn't have what it takes to be the guy.
This isn't even funny. Tom Savage?

Four years to learn a system & never showed anything like Mills has.

I thought of Mills just like Savage when the Texans drafted him. Highly recruited out of highschool. Circumstances beyond his control kept him from playing. All he needed was experience.

Well, we saw that wasn't enough for Savage. Mills has responded well to experience.

That said, I'm coming around, make him the starter. Treat him like a 1st rounder. Give him every opportunity to succeed. All the while, keep looking. I don't think we should treat Davis Mills any different than Chicago will treat Fields, or NYJets will treat Wilson. He's our QB going forward.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Let him compete for the job, but use high round draft picks on either highly skilled position player(s) or continue building the trenches on both sides of the ball.

I'm a firm believer in building your offensive and defensive lines first before using high draft capital on a player that you can't consistently protect. And of course, d-line is all about that pressure on opposing QBs.
 

Texansballer74

The Marine
It's still too early for me to say one way or another.

I don't want this to be a Tom Savage situation where we hand the reins to a guy who doesn't have what it takes to be the guy.

But I also don't want to slow down Davis Mills' development by not giving him enough reps with the first team, and enough attention from the coaches to clean up his technical issues.

I just hope that THIS staff is smart enough to make the right decision.
Tom never showed this much potential throwing the ball.
 

JWTexans

Waterboy
combined with his steady play over the last 2 weeks yes….he will have earned the right to come into next year and be the guy..but it hinges on these last 2 games
I think he already has done enough especially when you combine that with no QB in this class being elite. You got to remember he only played 14 games at Stanford. He was an elite recruit (I know that doesn’t mean anything), and most analysts have gone on record saying he’d be the top ranked QB if he came out this year. There’s so many more pressing needs for this team, I think it’s borderline stupidity if Mills isn’t given the reins next year.
 

Mr teX

Hall of Fame
I don’t think it’s any question that a few vets will be brought in…but to “compete”? Naw. I’m sure they’ll spin it that way but I’m pretty sure they’ll be there auditioning for back up duties. Mills will be the guy next year as long he doesn’t piss down his leg these last 2 games.

apart from that, he’s already got good repoire with Nico and Cooks.
 

JWTexans

Waterboy
I don’t think it’s any question that a few vets will be brought in…but to “compete”? Naw. I’m sure they’ll spin it that way but I’m pretty sure they’ll be there auditioning for back up duties. Mills will be the guy next year as long he doesn’t piss down his leg these last 2 games.

apart from that, he’s already got good repoire with Nico and Cooks.
They definitely need to get some more weapons around him. Sony Michel and Christian Kirk would be 2 guys they could nab during FA. I don’t see them making a splash, especially on the offensive side of the ball, but those 2 would be relatively cheap.
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
They definitely need to get some more weapons around him. Sony Michel and Christian Kirk would be 2 guys they could nab during FA. I don’t see them making a splash, especially on the offensive side of the ball, but those 2 would be relatively cheap.
If Nick is bringing in FAs like that then he's got a much higher opinion of Mills than any of us.
 

Texansphan

Football connoisseur
This.

If he doesn’t work out then we will be in good drafting position.

If he does work out it doesn’t mean we can’t revisit the position at a later date when other more pressing needs are taken care of.
Yeah if he plays well these next two games then I reckon Texans must continue to look at him next season - they would be stupid not to.
Nothing stopping them bringing in a rookie from a lower round - many of whom are not that far behind the higher round guys in talent.
Another way to look at it is if you do burn a top 5 pick on a QB, he would almost have to be the starter and the consensus seems to be that none is this draft are considered starting caliber.
 

Speedy

Former Yeller Dweller
Should Mills be given the reins? Who else are you going to give them too? Unless you really like one of the QBs in this draft, which not many people do, which also doesn't mean much because look at the QBs they thought highly of this past draft, then I think it would be unwise to spend high draft capital on a QB. Hell, I think it's unwise to draft a QB period, with the shape this team is in and the ton of pieces they need.

At least start building the team before you start worrying about QB. Then if Mills is the guy, so be it. If not, then use your resources to find one.

But for 2022? I don't think it really matters much. They're likely to not be very competitive again, so give the kid a shot. Best case, it clicks for him and you have your QB. If not, then you're in the QB hunt that half the league is in every year.
 

leebigeztx

Keep it Movin!
Given this QB class the answer is a easy yes..

If Mills could enter this draft He could be the top one off the board..

Like true form.. When Houston is positioned to draft top 5 there isn't any QB prospects worth taking..

He'll be given the reins, because He's flashed plenty to get another look. If this was a draft loaded with top flight prospects at the top maybe not, but that isn't this class.
You cant say that.
 

leebigeztx

Keep it Movin!
Is Mills more talented than Pickett,Corrall or Willis? Does he have more physical attributes than those 3? I know that Willis arm talent is far superior, but he needs seasoning. Pickett seems to be a more physically skilled Mills. If you deem those guys with higher upside and franchise qb ability, then you draft them and let them compete.
 

badboy

Hall of Fame
That knee has to pass a physical.
I think Caserio just stays with Mills and looks at the 2023 draft if he fails.
The knee is the only reason he would drop to round 6 and I would risk that if the knee checks out. I don't think he drops past the third round if that.
 

powda

The bridge between stupid and useless is short.
This is a good question and worth asking. Trouble is, it's 2 games to early.

Can we slam the breaks on this sh*t?

Mills had 1 good game, 1 good series before that, and random flahes otherwise.

Keep in mind that 1 good game was against a bad defense on a c'19 riddled team. We need a bigger sample size to form any honest evaluation.

I don't believe any of the 22 draft qbs are great so I don't mind taking a flyer in the 5th round or beyond on another qb. And I don't mind bringing in a higher end free agent qb to compete with Mills as things stand.

But...


We'll know a helleva lot more about Mills in 8 more quarters. Until then, it's guesswork and unnecessary.
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
We need a bigger sample size to form any honest evaluation.
I don’t know. It feels like we’re behind, way behind the Texans & their evaluation.

I’m one of those who didn’t believe drafting a QB with our highest pick made sense. But they scouted him, did their due diligence & obviously felt there was something about him. I wonder if they’d have gone QB if Mills wasn’t there.

I didn’t think he should be active at anytime during the 2021 season. They made him the #2 QB from day one. They didn’t bring in any viable alternative.

& from the first snap he took it was evident to me I was wrong about his readiness.

I think we’re arguing about a decision they already made.
 
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powda

The bridge between stupid and useless is short.
I don’t know. It feels like we’re behind, way behind the Texans & they’re evaluation.

I’m one of those who didn’t believe drafting a QB with our highest pick made sense. But they scouted him, did their due diligence & obviously felt there was something about him. I wonder if they’d have gone QB if Mills wasn’t there.

I didn’t think he should be active at anytime during the 2021 season. They made him the #2 QB from day one. They didn’t bring in any viable alternative.

& from the first snap he took it was evident to me I was wrong about his readiness.

You and I were polar opposites on the matter. I liked the pick - as a player and a hedge against Watson. I thought it was necessary as a franchise to take a shot. I took some flak for it in the draft threads but still support it even if he doesn't work out.

Don't say your wrong yet. He may still bomb.
 

vtech9

All Pro
I don't think the starting job should be given to Mills, but I think it is his to lose. He still has to win the job though. If a QB like Zappe is available later in the draft, I think we should take a flyer on him.
 

welsh texan

You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one
I don't think the starting job should be given to Mills, but I think it is his to lose. He still has to win the job though. If a QB like Zappe is available later in the draft, I think we should take a flyer on him.
This is what I want to see also. It isn’t that we stop looking for a QB based on Mills’ rookie season, but there’s enough there that he gets to compete for the job again and we put some quality rookies around him to build the team.

They either develop to help him, a late round pick develop, or a high draft rookie in 23.
 

mancunian

Old Timer
I think this is worth a thread of it's own as I can't imagine a more important question moving forward.
Mods can move it if they seem it necessary.
Has Mills done enough?
Is it worth the risk skipping a 1st round QB this draft?
What more this season, (if at all) does he need to do to take that risk?
Should Texans take a lower round prospect to compete with Mills?
Lots to mull over here.
not sure that there's a QB worth spending a high pick on in the draft.
 

Carr Bombed

Hall of Fame
This is a good question and worth asking. Trouble is, it's 2 games to early.

Can we slam the breaks on this sh*t?

Mills had 1 good game, 1 good series before that, and random flahes otherwise.

Keep in mind that 1 good game was against a bad defense on a c'19 riddled team. We need a bigger sample size to form any honest evaluation.

I don't believe any of the 22 draft qbs are great so I don't mind taking a flyer in the 5th round or beyond on another qb. And I don't mind bringing in a higher end free agent qb to compete with Mills as things stand.

But...


We'll know a helleva lot more about Mills in 8 more quarters. Until then, it's guesswork and unnecessary.
He's had more than just one good game..
 

maverick512000

Hall of Fame
I’m different than most as I don’t value the “compete for the job” idea to much. I view it like someone that is very good on tests but you don’t know if they can actually apply that knowledge.

Let’s say we bring another vet in on a one year contract and they “beat” Mills for the starting job. In what possible way does that help us? We know that vet isn’t going to take us far and now we are back on the QB merry go round with a guy only here for one year getting first team reps. Meanwhile any growth you might have from Mills is slowed down.

I say make Mills the starter from day one to both give him confidence and to create stability at the QB position. Draft some weapons for him or some protection for him, and if we have the number 3 spot I would prefer they trade for more picks, so you can see what he can do with a better team.

If he works out great you found the diamond in the rough and Caserio automatically becomes the best GM Texans have had, not a high bar, and in 23 we can focus on defense. If he doesn’t then you will most likely be in position where you can draft a QB in what is hopefully a stronger class.

Either way bringing in a vet to compete for the job doesn’t actually help us, bring in a vet who knows they are there to backup and teach Mills as their primary job.
 

TheRealJoker

Hall of Fame
Davis Mills had 11 college starts. If he completes the next two games he will have 13 NFL starts and an additional two games played.

Would that additional season of playing experience in college boost him from a third round pick into the first round of this year’s draft? I suspect it would.

Also, Mills had an opportunity to be brought on in what imo is the optimal way with Tyrod getting injured then benched. He got thrown into the fire early, but like Culley said “he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know”. Once he experienced live game action all the stuff he was told in practice and the film room began to make more sense. Then he got a couple weeks to sit back down and absorb what he had learned. Once reinserted into the lineup he has now looked much improved now that he “knows what he didn’t know.”

The Texans were lucky to have Pep Hamilton on staff who worked with David Shaw and I assume could get inside info other teams in the QB market didn’t have access to.. his practice habits, his intangibles that don’t show up in his 11 college starts.

The Texans essentially got a 1st round talent QB in the 3rd. However, they lose out on the 5th year option that first round QBs get. Given the hand that Caserio and company was dealt to rebuild this team I think they lucked out getting Mills at 68.
 

steelbtexan

King of the W. B. Club
Contributor's Club
I’m different than most as I don’t value the “compete for the job” idea to much. I view it like someone that is very good on tests but you don’t know if they can actually apply that knowledge.

Let’s say we bring another vet in on a one year contract and they “beat” Mills for the starting job. In what possible way does that help us? We know that vet isn’t going to take us far and now we are back on the QB merry go round with a guy only here for one year getting first team reps. Meanwhile any growth you might have from Mills is slowed down.

I say make Mills the starter from day one to both give him confidence and to create stability at the QB position. Draft some weapons for him or some protection for him, and if we have the number 3 spot I would prefer they trade for more picks, so you can see what he can do with a better team.

If he works out great you found the diamond in the rough and Caserio automatically becomes the best GM Texans have had, not a high bar, and in 23 we can focus on defense. If he doesn’t then you will most likely be in position where you can draft a QB in what is hopefully a stronger class.

Either way bringing in a vet to compete for the job doesn’t actually help us, bring in a vet who knows they are there to backup and teach Mills as their primary job.
Looks like a good plan to me.

I'm all for fixing the OL and bringing in weapons. But this appears to be such a good CB/Edge draft I'm hoping they go BPA and CB/Edge should be BPA at 1 of the 4 top 100 picks Caserio has at his disposal.

Watching Neal right now and I'm really starting to come around on him at #3. He's really controlling Sanders, who's a legit NFL starting edge prospect.

BTW, Sauce Gardner is looking really good for Cincy too.
 

Brisco_County

Apples and roadmaps
He'll be the starter next season.

The Texans as an organization have had enough of the QB dating game. Like the woman who always ended up dating losers, who then thought she found Mr. Right until he ended up cheating on her with 30 massage hoochies. Now she found a guy who treats her right, is mature, performs well, has high income potential, and has his shite together in general. Do you think she's going to be all "Maybe I can do better, I'll play the field a little more." Yeah, no. A bird in the hand as they say. Put a ring on it and move on to the next life goal.
 

leebigeztx

Keep it Movin!
I’m different than most as I don’t value the “compete for the job” idea to much. I view it like someone that is very good on tests but you don’t know if they can actually apply that knowledge.

Let’s say we bring another vet in on a one year contract and they “beat” Mills for the starting job. In what possible way does that help us? We know that vet isn’t going to take us far and now we are back on the QB merry go round with a guy only here for one year getting first team reps. Meanwhile any growth you might have from Mills is slowed down.

I say make Mills the starter from day one to both give him confidence and to create stability at the QB position. Draft some weapons for him or some protection for him, and if we have the number 3 spot I would prefer they trade for more picks, so you can see what he can do with a better team.

If he works out great you found the diamond in the rough and Caserio automatically becomes the best GM Texans have had, not a high bar, and in 23 we can focus on defense. If he doesn’t then you will most likely be in position where you can draft a QB in what is hopefully a stronger class.

Either way bringing in a vet to compete for the job doesn’t actually help us, bring in a vet who knows they are there to backup and teach Mills as their primary job.
Qb competition should be like any other competition. Look at Matt Flynn vs Wilson. Dudes in that locker room look at you sideways if a guy is outperforming another guy and dude keep his job. Mills hasn't done enough in my opinion.
 
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