Davis Mills says his role remains the same despite Texans’ dominance on the ground
The Houston Texans have leaned heavily on their rookie running back Dameon Pierce in 2022 to great effect. Pierce is on the cusp of becoming one of the NFL’s premier ball carriers in his first season, and with continued success will necessitate a starring role in the Texans’ offense.
Quarterback Davis Mills, however, remains the player whose contributions ultimately make or break the unit’s chances at delivering Houston wins. Without exceptional play from Mills, the rest of the offensive output only goes so far on the scoreboard.
Mills told reporters on Wednesday that his role remains the same regardless of the success his team finds in the running game. Asked how Pierce’s contributions influence his approach week to week, he didn’t seem to think that it made much of a difference.
“It doesn’t change anything in particular,” Mills explained. “My job as a quarterback is to make sure the offense is getting in and out of the huddle efficiently, running the right plays, making sure we’re all on the same page, protect the football and then get the ball out to playmakers in space.
“Nothing more, nothing less. On third down and in the red zone, there will be situations where I’ll need to extend some plays, get out of the pocket and make a play if the defense catches us and ends up playing our concept well. But other than that, protect the football and score points.”
The quarterback position remains the most important piece to any team’s offensive puzzle in the modern NFL, and the Texans are no exception, try as they may to shake the trend. Mills has proven to be a capable signal-caller at times, and the success that Houston has found running the ball can certainly mask some of his shortcomings in a given matchup.
But for the team to improve their record drastically, or even moderately, over the final stretch of games in 2022, Mills will need to take a big step forward. The Texans will only be able to rely on Pierce’s excellence for so long before opponents start keying in on their concepts in the run game, so Mills’ contributions over the next few weeks will be a major storyline to watch.
