Texans rookie QB Davis Mills keeps his head up and seeks to improve

HOUSTON — With the ball near the 10-yard line, Davis Mills received a snap from Justin Britt during the final minutes of the Houston Texans’ two-minute drill, Wednesday morning, at Houston Methodist Training Center. With the pocket collapsing, Mills connected with Chris Conley on the run for what should have been a touchdown pass, but the officials ruled Conley stepped out of bounds amid his reception.

Instead of ending Day 15 of training camp on a high note, Mills’ final pass attempt resulted in a one-handed interception by Vernon Hargreaves. Prior to the end of practice, Jordan Akins, Justin Britt, Tytus Howard and Laremy Tunsil rallied around Mills refusing to allow their rookie quarterback to leave dejected.  

Mills’ performance was the perfect illustration of the rollercoaster ride he has endured through his first NFL training camp. One that has given reason to feel both optimistic and pessimistic about his future. Regardless of the outcome, Mills is about staying level-headed as he tries to improve as a rookie.

“Obviously, I’m still learning the offense,” Mills said. “Something that always stuck with me is the little quote, ‘it’s never as bad as you think it is, and it’s never as good as you think it is.’ I try to keep my head up and just continually improve.”

Mills describes himself as a confident person who does not let the magnitude of mistakes faze him. No matter the outcome of the previous play, Mills’ mind is already thinking about his next move. And it’s one of the reasons head coach David Culley believes Mills possesses the right intangibles a quarterback must-have.

But for Culley, the main element he wants to see his rookie quarterback enhance after the first two weeks of training camp is his consistency running the team’s offense.

“He’s shown us again that when he has bad days, he can come back and do what we need [him] to do as a quarterback — and that’s what quarterbacks need to do,” Culley said. “He’s shown that when he’s put in that situation, that he’s going to come back, and he’s going to do what we feel like we want to do — the play the next play mentality.”

When it comes to Mills’ struggles during training camp, it’s not trying to understand the concepts of the Texans’ offense. For the Stanford prodigy, the reads are the same as they were in college. But what has been a daunting task is trying to grasp the speed of NFL defenses.

Adjusting to the NFL’s fast pace is difficult for any rookie. Even Mills’ draft mate Nico Collins said adjusting to the speed has been the most challenging part of the transition. And similar to Collins, Mills has veterans he can lean on at his position to help his adaptation become smoother — including Deshaun Watson, who Mills described as an open book.

The first real test for Mills will take place at Lambeau Field on Saturday, when the Texans open their preseason schedule against the Green Bay Packers. Although a majority of the Packers’ presumed starters may not take the field against the Texans, the opportunity to play against a real opponent will be a vital milestone in Mills’ development.

It does not matter if he throws several deep balls to Keke Coutee or a hasty decision results in an interception. Learning from both the positive and negative will be Mills’ main objective during his first NFL game.

And if Wednesday was any indication for what lies ahead for Mills’ debut, the Texans, and their fan base, will leave Green Bay feeling more optimistic than pessimistic about their rookie quarterback, even with the possibility of a few mishaps.

“I’m just happy if I get to play on Saturday, kind of obviously go out there and show what I can do,” he said. “I’ll have really talented players around me on the same team that I’m looking forward to going out there and playing with, and I’m looking forward to having a lot of fun.”