Houston Texans Swapping Quarterbacks for Week 14

The Houston Texans are giving their opening-day starter another shot. According to KPRC 2's Aaron Wilson, the team will start quarterback Davis Mills for their Week 14 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys after playing Kyle Allen the previous two weeks.

The Texans are making another change at quarterback, going back to Davis Mills as their starter for Sunday’s road game against the Dallas Cowboys, according to league sources. https://t.co/LjybjP9INN #texans #davismills #htx #cowboys #kprc2 #click2houston
— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) December 7, 2022

The Texans benched Mills after a 1-8-1 start in which he threw 11 interceptions and netted 5.40 yards per attempt. Allen was significantly worse in his two appearances, throwing four interceptions while averaging 4.52 net yards per passing attempt in two losses. He also fumbled four times.

Mills isn't likely to claw the Texans back to respectability, but he'll limit any abject humiliation the team will suffer over the remainder of their lost season. With only one win on the year, the Texans are in the driver's seat for the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Barring some miraculous play, there probably isn't anything Mills can do to keep that pick from becoming the Texans' next franchise passer.

Mills initially joined the Texans as their 67th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He showed promise as a rookie on an awful team, throwing for 2664 yards with an 88.8 passer rating, but he has regressed across the board on this year's talent-deficient squad. After this season, he'll likely settle into a backup role over the remainder of his rookie contract.