Davis Mills: The rookie Houston Texans QB who will replace Tyrod Taylor

With Tyrod Talor out with a hamstring injury, coach David Culley on Tuesday announced that rookie Davis Mills will start at quarterback for the Houston Texans on Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers.

On Tuesday, the Texans placed Taylor on injured reserve which means that he must miss at least three games. So Mills is expected to get an extended run as the starting QB.

Taylor was injured in the first half of Houston’s 31-21 loss to Cleveland on Sunday and didn’t return after halftime. Mills, a third-round pick from Stanford, took over and threw for 102 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

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Deshaun Watson remains a non-option as he has been listed as inactive/not injury-related following his trade request and after 22 women filed lawsuits alleging sexual assault or harassment.

Mills, 22, appeared in 14 games for Stanford over three seasons and had previously suffered from knee and leg injuries. Many didn’t anticipate him to play this season as he is a developing talent who needed more experience in the NFL before assuming a starting position.

Mills was the number one quarterback in his high school class.

Mills was a five-star Rivals.com recruit and the top-ranked quarterback in the 2017 class despite multiple knee injuries in high school, including one that accompanied him to Stanford.

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Mills was also placed ahead of a number of other well-known athletes, including a couple who are presently playing in the NFL. Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins was ranked No. 53 overall, while Mac Jones of the New England Patriots was ranked No. 162.

The Atlanta born generated a lot of buzz, and a lot of elite institutions sought to recruit him, including Georgia, Michigan, USC, Michigan, and Alabama.

Before his final year of high school, he sustained what was first thought to be a season-ending knee injury. Mills recovered a few weeks later and led Greater Atlanta Christian to the state championship game, but he injured his knee again only five plays later.

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After then-starter K.J. Costello sustained a head injury in the season opener, Mills took over early in the 2019 season. When Costello returned, the two shared time, but Mills had another knee injury. Stanford ended the season with a 4-8 record, and Mills recovered to start the final three games. That season, Mills passed for 1,960 yards and 11 touchdowns. Against Washington State, he passed for a school-record 504 yards and three touchdowns, despite the Cardinal losing by 27 points.