Texans' Davis Mills or CJ Stroud at QB vs. Baltimore?
The Houston Texans went into this season fully expecting their No. 2 overall pick from April's NFL Draft, C.J. Stroud, to steer the offense for the foreseeable future. And that future is expected to begin on Sept. 10 against the Baltimore Ravens.
But the future isn't here yet, and Stroud isn't the starter ... yet.
As of today, Texans first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans claims to still be deciding on a starting quarterback for the season opener. Stroud is battling Davis Mills - the incumbent starter from the previous two seasons - for that designation. It's entirely possible Ryans has already made up his mind, but if he has, he's keeping it under wraps.
It doesn't appear any announcement is imminent, as he addressed the situation before Saturday's game against the Dolphins. “We’ll have a starter in Baltimore. It’s the same as I said previously. You guys will see the starter when we get to Baltimore.”
Mills has been the team's starter for 26 games over the last two campaigns, but he hasn't progressed as the team hoped. And the temptation to draft a possible face of the franchise with the No. 2 overall pick was just too much. But does the 21-year-old Stroud give the team a better chance to win now that Davis does? Or do Ryans and Co. think it's better to just begin Stroud's development now so the team is possibly better off in the long run?
Only Ryans knows the answer to that and doesn't feel the need to share that with anyone right now. Or maybe he doesn't know yet, and this is a legitimate quarterback battle now heading into the final exhibition game on the schedule.
Either way, we'll find out on the field on Sept. 10 in Baltimore.
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