It has been a rough few seasons for the Houston Texans finishing with only four wins in each of the last two. This comes only a few seasons after they drafted who they thought would be their franchise guy with Deshaun Watson. The drama then began which resulted in Watson being traded to the Cleveland Browns. That puts them right back in the middle of a rebuild as they look to get back on the right track in the AFC South.
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Davis Mills Earns the 2023 Starting Role
Mills was a five-star recruit before committing to Stanford in 2016. He then went into his freshman season with knee problems and those continued throughout his college career. In the end, he only played 16 total college games before being drafted 67th overall by the Texans. Mills will now enter his second season with a firm grasp on the starting job.
Mills very much has the talent to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Like any young player, he had his ups and downs last year. However, over the final five-game stretch of the season, he played well with a 9/2 touchdown to interception ratio. Furthermore, he averaged 251.3 passing yards per game. Look for Mills to take a big enough leap to convince the front office that they do not need a quarterback in the 2023 draft.
The Texans Win 6-8 Games
The Texans are currently the favorites to be the worst team in the league with an over/under of 4.5 wins. They do have a tough schedule but they will surprise some people this year. They have a new head coach in Lovie Smith who is a very underrated coach. Lovie was the defensive coordinator last season as he was able to coach a top 10 defense in takeaways. Furthermore, the Texans were able to keep Pep Hamilton and promote him to offensive coordinator. Hamilton is an exceptional young offensive mind. With an improved offensive line and good offensive weapons, their offense will take the next step resulting in some upset victories throughout the season.
Brandin Cooks Breaks the Franchise Single-Season Reception Record
DeAndre Hopkins and Andre Johnson are both currently tied for the franchise record with 115 receptions. That will change this season with Cooks. He is the sure-fire number one receiver on the Texans and he might just be the most underrated receiver in the entire NFL. Cooks and Mills played in nine games last year where Mills played every snap and Cooks played at least 79% of them. In those games, Cooks averaged 6.5 receptions per game on nine targets. Moreover, as the season went on in their last three games together Cooks averaged 7.3 receptions per game. Throughout a 17-game season, 6.5 receptions per game equate to 111 total receptions while the 7.3 equates to 124. If that trend continues in 2022 Cooks will be the franchise record leader by the end of the season.
Dameon Pierce is a Disappointment
The Texan’s backfield is open for the taking as they don’t have a true number one option. Between Pierce, Marlon Mack, and Rex Burkhead, they will all see some work. However, a lot of the talk has been as if it’s Pierce’s backfield. That may not be the case and it would not be a surprise if he had a disappointing season.
The Texans signed Mack to a one-year deal and he will surprise some people this year. He is only 26 years old and has a couple of very solid seasons in his young career. Furthermore, even though he struggled to get on the field last year that was expected sitting behind the best running back in the league Jonathan Taylor. Moreover, with the Texans bringing back Burkhead that will take away a good chunk of the receiving work. Therefore, that will leave the backfield very muddy making it tough for Pierce to carve out a larger role.
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