Davis Mills Named Texans' Starting QB over Tyrod Taylor for Remainder of Season

After taking over for Tyrod Taylor in the third quarter of last week's game against the Indianapolis Colts, Davis Mills will remain the Houston Texans' starting quarterback for the rest of the season.

Head coach David Culley made the announcement Friday. 

Culley told reporters that Taylor "didn't like the decision."

"I wouldn't have liked it either, but this is a production business," he said. "We needed a spark. We needed a change."

Nothing about the Texans has been stable this season, including their quarterback play.

Taylor has shown flashes, especially at the start of the season. He led the Texans to a 37-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. The 32-year-old went 21-of-33 for 291 yards and two touchdowns. 

Next week against the Cleveland Browns, Taylor started 10-of-11 for 125 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for a score before a hamstring injury kept him out for the second half. 

Since returning in Week 9, Taylor has completed just 56.6 percent of his attempts with two touchdowns and five interceptions in four games. 

Mills has had some solid performances that suggest he could be figuring things out. He threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in a 25-22 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 5. 

Against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8, Mills threw for 310 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Some of those numbers came in garbage time because the Texans were losing 38-0 going into the fourth quarter before scoring 22 unanswered points. 

The Texans are 2-10, and their priority should be evaluating players who can contribute in 2022.

Mills was Houston's top pick in the 2021 draft (No. 67 overall). The 23-year-old is completing 65.5 percent of his passes with 1,406 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight appearances (six starts) this season.