Texans OC Pep Hamilton wants QB Davis Mills to speed up dropbacks

Those associated with the Houston Texans have left little doubt they are all-in on Davis Mills beginning his second NFL season as their starting quarterback. New head coach Lovie Smith called the 2021 third-round draft pick "our quarterback going into the season" in February and then told reporters Monday that he's a "believer" in the 23-year-old. Smith added he expects Mills will improve working under offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton throughout the spring and summer months. 

As Myles Simmons noted for Pro Football Talk, Mills posted a passer rating of 102.4 and tossed nine touchdowns across his final five starts of his debut campaign. During his latest media obligation, Hamilton explained he and the coaching staff believe Mills can get better at making "faster decisions and executing at a high level," and also at speeding up his drops in the pocket. 

"That’s a big part of staying on schedule in the passing game," Hamilton said of Mills focusing on his drops this offseason. "We have to continue to work on managing the pocket and keeping our eyes downfield. There’s a lot of times when we get off schedule and we moved off our spot. There is a spot that we typically set up at the top of our drops. Well, if you have to move off your spot, you just want to maintain your throwing posture, keep your eyes downfield and continue your progression and if it means finding your check down, we’ll do just that."

The Texans could've asked for Baker Mayfield in return when they shipped star signal-caller Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns last month. Houston didn't go in that direction, nor did the club acquire any other real competition at the sport's most important position. 

For better or for worse, Mills is the Texans' QB1 until further notice.