Texans Getting Trade Calls on Davis Mills; Move QB, Start C.J. Stroud?

There is a "right thing'' for the Texans to say. But is spurning all phone calls regarding the idea of a Davis Mills trade it the "right thing''? Of course it is not.

Everybody involved in the Houston Texans' quarterback situation is saying "the right thing.'' For C.J. Stroud, the second overall pick in the recent NFL Draft, the "right thing'' includes praising third-year incumbent Davis Mills for his "teaching.'' For Mills, the "right thing'' is to hang onto his first-team job.

And for the Texans, the "right thing'' is to answer questions about the idea of trading Mills - and NFL teams have apparently been making that call - by letting it be known that Mills is "unavailable'' in a swap.

That is the "right thing'' for the Texans to say. But is spurning all phone calls regarding the idea of a Mills trade it the "right thing''? Of course it is not.

Stroud is the presumed starter, though it has been made clear that the job won't be handed to him. "Competition is good,'' and all of that. And there is the age-old football argument, almost an ancient as the game itself, over whether a rookie QB is best-developed as a short-term watcher or as a "throw-him-into-the-deep-end'' immediate starter.

And one more thing: It's hard to find capable QBs. So there can be some level of attraction to viewing Stroud as the long-time starter with Mills as his long-time backup. Of course, journeyman Case Keenum is also here ... so if the right trade offer came along, why wouldn't Houston simply let Keenum handle the "teaching'' of Stroud?

#Texans quarterbacks C.J. Stroud @CJ7STROUD Davis Mills @Millsions and Case Keenum @casekeenum @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/1tE8UoRKCL

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) May 23, 2023

"That guidance and that confidence that they have, because they've both played in the League and been starters," Stroud said of Mills and Keenum. "They've been very helpful. We have constant communication on and off the field. It's been really great."

At the same time, stressed Mills, “I’m competing for that starting job. Since I’ve been drafted in the NFL I’ve been in a competition. I don’t think anything is going to change.''

But one thing is going to change: Stroud will eventually beat out Mills. And one more thing ought to change, if it hasn't already: The Houston Texans certainly can turn down specific trade offers for Mills. But being serious about creating the idea that Mills is "unavailable'' and not subject to trade discussion? Yeah, that's not the "right thing,'' and the Texans need to change that.

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