Texans HC Lovie Smith: Davis Mills will 'be an excellent QB in the NFL'

Regardless of any criticisms or the existence of rumors that have linked the Houston Texans with proven quarterbacks such as Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns and Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers, Houston head coach Lovie Smith has made it clear since February that 2021 third-round draft pick Davis Mills is "our quarterback going into the season." 

Smith then commented before last month's draft that he's a "believer" in Mills, and the Texans haven't yet acquired an advertised upgrade at the position and instead have the 23-year-old serving as their offensive leader heading into the Memorial Day holiday weekend. 

Myles Simmons pointed out for Pro Football Talk on Thursday that Smith once again gave his QB1 a public vote of confidence during a press conference. 

"Every day we’ve opened up the building, he’s been in here," Smith said of Mills. "He’s our quarterback. When you’re the leader, you’ve got to be visible. It’s been documented on what I think of Davis. I think he’s going to be an excellent quarterback in the NFL for a lot of years, but it’s about this year. Having a year, he and [offensive coordinator] Pep Hamilton getting on the same page with our offense, and him being in a role from the start, that’s different also. But that’s what you do. You have a chance for him to establish himself as one of our primary leaders each day." 

Simmons notes that Mills matched nine touchdowns with two interceptions and posted a 102.4 passer rating over the final five starts of his rookie season. That seemingly has given Smith and company enough reasons to believe Mills will continue to improve with additional reps versus live defenses this fall.