The Houston Texans have entered the Lovie Smith era as head coach, and he’s already stated that he’s comfortable with Davis Mills as quarterback going forward.
Lovie’s support of the second-year player, who showed some flashes of grit during a tough season, is based on the fact that star QB Deshaun Watson missed the entire 2021 season as he continues to deal with ongoing legal issues.
The talented Watson is currently saddled with 20 sexual misconduct allegations, which have led to a police investigation and NFL probe. There are doubts around the league that Watson will play next season, but if he does it’s safe to say it won’t be in H-Town.
The #Texans saying they want 3 firsts for Deshaun Watson is one thing
Actually getting it, is another
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) February 21, 2022
According to reports, the court ruled that Watson can be questioned under oath on allegations relating to nine of the pending civil cases against Watson Those women haven’t filed criminal complaints against Watson and have already provided depositions of their own.
Ironically, Watson’s onslaught of issues seemed to begin after his relationship with team ownership fractured and he demanded a trade. He was critical of the franchise’s desire to win after they traded his top weapon and good friend DeAndre Hopkins, then allowed franchise stalwart J.J. Watt to walk.
With Watson’s future still in limbo, Smith recently made it clear that the franchise is confident in Davis Mills leading the team.
During a recent interview on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Smith was pretty adamant about his confidence in Mills, who was selected with the 67th pick of the third round in the 2021 Draft.
“You don’t give out starting positions in the spring, but I love what Davis has done. He’s our quarterback going into the season. There’s a lot of positions I’m worried about. QB is not one of them.
“I love what Davis did last year. I feel real good about Davis leading out team, we’ve just got to get better people around him.”
While rookie Davis Mills makes first NFL start, I’m told DeShaun Watson is a virtual non-entity with the #Texans, with one source telling me that they often forget he’s even on the team unless he’s seen in a hallway as coaches and players are going to or from practice. pic.twitter.com/G8iYHWDDYm
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) September 23, 2021
Smith seems to have changed his tune a bit from a week ago when he told Albert Breer of MMQB, that although he likes Mills, the starting job has to be earned.
“Everyone wants to talk about the quarterback, I like him. I like his demeanor, how smart he is, and I like that he and Pep Hamilton have been together for a year already. Those things should help us. Got a chance to see Brandin Cooks and guys like that and know exactly who they are. And the foundation that we put in place on the defensive side, our system is already in.”
Mills Showed Promise On A Bad Roster In 2021: Lovie Doesn’t Really Know Watson
Smith didn’t get a chance to be around Watson, who was disconnected from the team last season. But he expressed confidence that the future is bright for the All-Pro QB and the Texans as they go their separate ways.
“I don’t really know Deshaun that way since he wasn’t really involved last year,” Smith told reporters. “Time takes care of a lot of things and time will take care of that situation too, with a favorable situation for Deshaun and us.”
Houston Texans Quarterback DeShaun Watson is facing allegations of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a female masseuse. https://t.co/QeH2DZzHjw
— FOX26Houston (@FOX26Houston) March 17, 2021
No one will ever confuse Mills with Watson, who in his Texans career has passed for 14,539 career yards, 104 touchdowns and just 36 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 1,677 yards and 17 touchdowns, displaying the game-breaking dual-threat ability he showed at Clemson.
Mills is nowhere near as dynamic or talented, but he’s got some moxie and some playmaking ability of his own. The team struggled while going 2-9 in his 11 starts under center, but Mills did pass for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His 88.8 QBR was third-best for rookies, trailing only Mac Jones and Trevor Lawrence. Again, he did this with a shoddy offensive line and limited playmakers at his disposal.
Davis Mills is the leading rookie passer in franchise history 👏
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 10, 2022
Lovie Wants Team To Focus On What They Can Control: Trade Is Inevitable
In an interview with Pro Football Talk, Smith talked about Watson’s situation and off-the-field issues the team needs to rectify before building a winning culture.
“As soon as possible … There are things that need to be taken care of before the football part comes into play. We’re patient, we’ve waited an entire year, and I just feel like this offseason it’ll come to an end and we’ll get it solved and it will be good for both parties, whatever that might be. There’s no other answer to give right now except that one, and we’re going to try to get it resolved as soon as we possibly can. But we don’t play tomorrow. We have a little bit of time, and we’ll get it done.”
Deshaun Watson's future with the Texans is up in the air. pic.twitter.com/2VmUbuFF0R
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 17, 2021
The talented Watson has been linked to multiple franchises, like the Buccaneers and Steelers. Both are in need of a signal caller, having had two future first -ballot Hall of Famers retire following the season.
But his legal situation makes it hard for him to be dealt at the moment. Teams will want more clarity before they give up the assets it’s going to take to get a 27-year-old star QB in the prime of his career. Until then we’ll just sit and wait to see what happens.
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