Lovie Smith thinks Texans can follow in Bengals' footsteps in 2022

The Cincinnati Bengals endured a rough 2020 NFL season during which they lost then-rookie quarterback Joe Burrow to a serious knee injury in November and ultimately went 4-11-1. Cincinnati rallied back the following campaign to claim the AFC North crown and ultimately book a trip to the Super Bowl, where the club fell to the Los Angeles Rams two Sundays ago. 

This past season, the Houston Texans went 4-13 and then fired coach David Culley. Associate head coach and defensive coordinator Lovie Smith was promoted to replace Culley, and Smith told NBC Sports' Peter King he believes his team can follow in Cincinnati's footsteps beginning this coming September. 

"We won four games this year. The Bengals won four the year before, and this was a big year for them," Smith said. "We don’t have to wonder—we just saw a team do it. Someone’s going to make that jump. Someone always does. Why not us?"

Deshaun Watson didn't play a snap for Houston this past season following his trade request and the much-publicized 22 lawsuits alleging acts of sexual assault and misconduct. Davis Mills, a third-round draft selection, flashed some promise during his rookie season, but Smith suggested Mills will have some serious competition for the QB1 job when training camps open this summer. 

"What gives me optimism is … I got a chance to see Davis Mills," Smith explained. "How many special quarterbacks are there out there? There’s a few. But there’s a lot of good quarterbacks. I think we will have a good quarterback for the Houston Texans. We have the third pick in the draft right now. There’s a possibility of us getting a great quarterback added to our team, or a lot of draft picks to get in more players. Something positive’s going to come out of that."

Mills passed for 2,664 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during his debut year. Per ESPN stats, he finished 26th among eligible quarterbacks with a 35.5 total QBR.