After the Houston Texans traded Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns, Davis Mills has been confirmed as the starter in Houston. This was confirmed by his new head coach Lovie Smith, but in the process he also expects the 23-year-old’s performance to improve.

Munich/Houston – There has rarely been so much talk about rookie quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL season. Partly because a whopping six playmakers made at least three starts in their first year.

But while Trey Lance, Trevor Lawrence and Mac Jones were more likely to make the headlines, Davis Mills’ season was somewhat lost. Unlike the other five, he was not selected in the first round, but only in the third.

Nevertheless, Mills showed appealing performances. In 13 games, he scored 16 touchdowns, gained 2,664 yards and had a passer rating of 88.8. Not outstanding, but with what the Texans could offer him in terms of player material in the offense, an extremely solid first season.

Lovie Smith expects jump in performance from Mills

That’s far from the end of the road, however, according to his new head coach Lovie Smith. “I’m a big believer in Davis and what he’s going to do for us,” the 63-year-old declared at a media roundtable on Monday.

“When I say I believe in him, I also mean offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. He’s getting even better in his second year in his system. Even as a rookie he did a lot of great things,” continued Smith, who has been to the Super Bowl as a head coach (2006 with the Chicago Bears).

“Usually the jump from year one to year two is a big one, so I think that’s what we’re going to get from him,” Smith ends his praise of the Stanford University man.

Backups for the Texans currently include veterans Kyle Allen and Jeff Driskel. It is unlikely that one of them will be able to compete with Mills for the job as starter for week one.