The Houston Texans have had a tough start to their 2022 season, but that doesn’t mean that improvements haven’t been made through six games. In his Monday press conference, head coach Lovie Smith touched on the development of quarterback Davis Mills, who he said has made great strides with every passing week.
He made a point to stop short of saying that Mills is a finished product at this point, but pointed out that the maturation of the second-year signal-caller has been palpable to him as a coach. The improvements go beyond the box score, Smith explained, and Mills seems to be in good standing with the team at this juncture.
“My comments have been that Davis Mills is getting better and better each week,” Smith said. “I mean maybe we haven’t thrown for 500 yards each week, but we’ve seen growth from him. That continues throughout. He made some tough throws yesterday. I liked his pocket presence, checking the ball down. Just keeping us in the game, what an NFL quarterback should do. I like the way he led us on the offensive side. We didn’t play a complete game. Most quarterbacks in the NFL don’t. We have some issues we need to clean up, but the quarterback position is not it.”
Whether Mills is the in the Texans’ long-term plans at the quarterback position or not is unclear, though his job seems secure through at least the end of this season. He has flown under the radar of the national media and isn’t the most hyped player in the league by any means, but his competent if not spectacular play has served as an anchor for a Houston team that seemed listless heading into this season.
With continued improvement over the coming weeks, Mills could cement his future with the Texans and potentially work his way into the starting lineup for next season.
