C.J. Stroud is out for OTAs, meaning the Houston Texans are turning the offense over to Davis Mills in drills. The hope is Mills won’t have to start or see action unless it’s mop-up duty or in a blowout loss, but as a former starter, he’s ready to go if head coach DeMeco Ryans calls upon him.

But where does Mills rank among backups going into the 2025 season? How would the Texans fare if Mills were to start multiple games for the back-to-back AFC South champions this fall?

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Sports Illustrated recently ranked all 32 backups entering the 2025 season. Mills, who posted a 5-19-1 during his time leading the offense in 2021 and 2022, ranked near the bottom at No. 30 overall, largely due to the success of C.J. Stroud.

“Mills has had zero starts since the organization drafted C.J. Stroud in 2023. But the ’21 third-round pick has impressed Houston as a QB2, evident by the one-year, $5 million extension he received last year,” SI’s Gilberto Manzano wrote. “Mills has plenty of experience, starting 26 games in his first two NFL seasons.”

While this might feel low, the list is filled with former first-round picks and high-priced options. No. 1 is Atlanta Falcons passer Kirk Cousins, who was expected to be the next franchise option after inking a four-year deal in 2024. He’s now potentially on the market for any team that could use a starting quarterback this offseason, especially the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Daniel Jones and Jimmy Garoppolo, who are former high-paid options, rounded out the top three and very well could start for at least two NFL teams this season. Several quarterbacks could be midseason replacements on bad teams like New York Giants rookie Jaxson Dart (No. 5) also rounded out the top five.

If anything Mills’ ranking likely has more to do with the praise of Stroud than his on-field play. Even if it feels low, that likely means the Texans know he’s meant to be nothing more than a quality No. 2 option.

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans backup QB Davis Mills gets less-than-ideal ranking for 2025