In his first full offseason as a professional, Davis Mills is going through quite a bit of change, but the ever-confident young quarterback is embracing it.
As a rookie in 2021, he was thrust into the breach after halftime in Week 2, and then started the next six games beginning in Week 3. He spent the month of November watching from the sidelines, before finishing out the campaign with five more starts.
Earlier this year, Houston hired a new Head Coach in Lovie Smith. Like the rest of his teammates, Mills is now learning a new offense. And he likes what he sees.
"I've already seen a couple of the first installs and I'm looking forward to actually get out and running them on the field because it's familiar to me from what I did in college," Mills said. "I'm extremely excited and hope that the growth from the last year continues straight into the next one."
For the first time since 2014, the Texans are installing a new offensive system. Coordinator Pep Hamilton held the same position at Stanford in 2011 and 2012 under Head Coach David Shaw. Mills was in Palo Alto with Shaw from 2017 through 2020. In addition to having a good run vs. pass mix to set up vertical routes down the field, Mills explained one of the main focuses of the new offense.
"A lot of it is just getting the ball to playmakers in space," Mills said. "Pep has already thought of a lot of really good ways to do that and I'm excited to start running it and get the reps with our team."
The Texans are in the second week of their offseason conditioning program. Mills and company have been working out in the weight room at NRG Stadium, and on the fields across Kirby Drive at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
On an individual level, Hamilton described some of the areas in which he'd like to see Mills improve.
"First and foremost, we have to speed up our drops," Hamilton said. "That's a big part of staying on schedule in the passing game. We have to continue to work on managing the pocket and keeping our eyes down field."
Hamilton, Mills and the Texans will continue with offseason conditioning this week. The team is also preparing for the NFL Draft, which begins Thursday, April 28 in Las Vegas. The Texans are hosting a free Draft Party for fans at Miller Outdoor Theatre that evening.
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