Houston Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills has signed a one-year contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The deal features $5 million per year in new money and keeps Mills with the Texans through 2025. There are also playing-time incentives written into the contract extension. The 2021 third-round pick is locked in as the backup to C.J. Stroud, and the new extension provides a bit of job security in the near future. This shouldn't have fantasy implications unless something were to happen to Stroud.
Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills delivered an impressive performance, completing 10 out of 13 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's Hall of Game against the Chicago Bears. He capped a 13-play, 74-yard first drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass to tight end Teagan Quitoriano. Mills guided the offense to 10 points and controlled the clock for over 13 minutes before his night ended after the second Texans' possession. As he enters the final year of his rookie contract, Mills competes with veteran Case Keenum for the backup role and made a compelling case for the No. 2 spot on Thursday night. While neither backup quarterback has fantasy value unless C.J. Stroud is injured, it is reassuring that Houston's skill position players should still perform well if Mills or Keenum needs to step in temporarily.
C.J. Stroud Expected To Sit Thursday, Davis Mills Set To Play
The Houston Texans are expected to sit their starting units in Thursday's Hall of Fame game against the Chicago Bears in Canton, Ohio. That will certainly include second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud, as the Texans are set to start backup quarterback Davis Mills. Replaced as the starter by last season's first-round pick Stroud, Mills figures to get most of the snaps under center for the Texans on Thursday. Stroud's hype train in his second season keeps on chugging, as the Texans added Stefon Diggs to an already capable receiving unit featuring Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Dalton Schultz. While the rushing part of the equation may not be there for Stroud, his prolific work as a passer vaults him into the top grouping of quarterbacks on draft day for fantasy leagues.
Texans Expected To Start Case Keenum Over Davis Mills
The Houston Texans are expected to start veteran quarterback Case Keenum over Davis Mills in Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans with rookie C.J. Stroud (concussion) set to miss his first game this Sunday, according to sources. Keenum, 35, has more NFL experience than Mills (78 total games and 64 starts), but Keenum also hasn't started a game since 2021 with the Cleveland Browns and hasn't been active at all in 2023. He's gone 29-35 all time as a starter in the NFL, throwing for 14,884 career yards, 78 touchdowns and 48 interceptions over 10 seasons. Keenum may have more experience than Mills, but he's going to have to shake off some rust in order to get Houston's passing game going, and he could be without top wideout Nico Collins (calf). At best, Keenum will be a desperation low-end QB2 in superflex leagues on Sunday.
Signs are pointing to Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills starting in Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday with rookie C.J. Stroud (concussion) still in the league's concussion protocol on Thursday. Mills entered for a concussed Stroud in the Week 14 loss to the New York Jets and went only 1-for-5 for four yards in the fourth quarter. The 25-year-old is now likely to make his first start of 2023 this weekend, and he could be missing top wideout Nico Collins, who injured his calf last Sunday. Mills made 26 starts for the Texans the previous two seasons and completed 63.6% of his 873 attempts for 5,782 yards, 33 touchdowns and 25 interceptions in that span. Mills has experience as a starter but should only be considered a low-end QB2 streamer in superflex leagues against the Titans in Week 15.
Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills was the QB2 in Thursday's preseason game against the New England Patriots. Mills relieved rookie C.J. Stroud after two drives, and the former 2021 third-round pick looked sharp in his first action in 2023. Mills went 9-for-12 on his passes for 99 yards and one touchdown in four drives. His lone touchdown came seconds before the half when he connected with rookie Tank Dell in the end zone. Mills has been battling against Stroud for the Texans' starting quarterback spot this season, and the team hasn't made any decisions on that front yet. It will be interesting, though, to see how the team handles it moving forward. Mills looked like the more experienced quarterback on Thursday, which could help him win the battle. Houston doesn't have its first-round pick in 2024, so they're going to do everything to win games in 2023. If that happens to be with Mills, the Texans will go with him. This quarterback battle is something to definitely keep a close eye on as the season gets closer. Either way, Mills should only be drafted in superflex formats this year if he's named the starter in Week 1.
Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills lost first-team repetitions to rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud for the second straight day of training camp practice over the weekend on Saturday. And on top of that, the offense had its most productive day so far with Stroud finding multiple receivers open while operating the offense efficiently during red-zone and 11-on-11 drills. Stroud has continued to show improvement each day in camp, which is bad news for Mills as he tries to steal the starting gig from the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft. The Texans aren't in a rush to name a starter for the regular season. Mills will get his chances in the preseason opener this Thursday against the New England Patriots, but it would be a big upset if he won the starting gig over Stroud at this point.
C.J. Stroud, Davis Mills Still Competing For Starting Job
Houston Texans quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills remain in a competition for the team's Week 1 starting gig under center. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said that "when the time comes for us to declare someone as a starter we'll do that, when it's the right time for us". Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, carries the higher fantasy upside of the two in redraft leagues. However, Mills could end up winning the job for the early goings as the incumbent veteran with the seniority advantage in Year 3 with the offense. Fantasy managers in deep formats or two-quarterback settings should still favor Stroud very late in drafts, but he may not be at the helm right off the bat in Year 1.
Davis Mills Says He's Still Competing For Starting Job
Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills said, "I'm still competing for that starting job," despite the team taking rookie C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick in this year's NFL draft. The Texans also have veteran signal-caller Case Keenum, but they aren't considering trading Mills, who has made 26 starts for Houston over the last two seasons. Mills was the first QB put through drills at organized team activities on Tuesday, and while it's fully expected that Stroud will eventually be the starter in 2023, the Texans could choose to have Stroud sit and learn behind Mills initially. In 15 starts last year, Mills completed just 61% of his passes for 3,118 yards, 17 touchdowns and a league-leading 15 interceptions, so if he opens the year as the starter once again, he'll have low-end QB2 fantasy value, at best.
Davis Mills, Case Keenum To Compete For Backup Job
Houston Texans quarterbacks Davis Mills and Case Keenum are expected to compete for the backup job this summer after the team took C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night. There's no guarantee that the Texans will feel that Stroud is ready to start in Week 1 immediately, so there's a chance that one of Mills or Keenum begin the season the starting QB. But eventually in 2023, Stroud will be given the job, and probably sooner than later. The 35-year-old Keenum has 64 career NFL starts, but he's made just two starts in the last three years. Meanwhile, Mills played in 28 games (26 starts) for the organization the last two years, but he threw a league-high 15 interceptions in 2022.
