Mills regains starting job
HOUSTON — The Texans will start quarterback Davis Mills against the Cowboys on Sunday, coach Lovie Smith said Wednesday.
Mills was benched after a turnover-heavy four game stretch, but backup Kyle Allen fared no better, turning the ball over twice in two defensive scores in last Sunday’s loss to the Browns, which provoked Houston’s coaching staff to return to Mills. Smith said they will continue to evaluate the starting quarterback each week in the season’s final five games.
“We don’t give out lifetime jobs,” Smith said. “It’s about performance each week. We feel like the performance last week warranted another start. When Davis was the starter, sometimes you need a relief pitcher to come in. That’s what it was. Sometimes you bring a relief pitcher in, and when he’s doing well, you stay that course. That is not the case. So, Davis will start for us this week, and we expect two weeks of watching from the sideline to help, and there’s so many other things we can do to help the quarterback position. It’s a lot more than just him.”
Stingley likely to sit out again
Derek Stingley Jr. has missed three games while sidelined with a hamstring injury, and head coach Lovie Smith hasn’t received any indication yet that he will return this season. The No. 3 overall pick has not
been placed on the injured reserve. But he didn’t practice on Wednesday, projecting again that he won’t be available when the Texans play the Cowboys on Sunday.
There has been small signs of improvement in what Smith has classified as a “mild” hamstring pull. As recently as two weeks ago, the Texans were protecting Stingley by having him watch games from the press box instead of the sideline because they were concerned that he wouldn’t be able to get out of the way if someone veered out of bounds. Stingley will be watching Sunday’s game from the sideline, Smith said.
“I wouldn’t say that it’s a more significant injury than was anticipated early,” said Smith, whose own playing career ended when his hamstring gave out during training camp with the Falcons. “Whenever you pull a hamstring, I know from experience it takes a while — especially got a young player that pulled it for the first time in his life. So, you just have to be patient with it. We have to be. Eventually, he will be back out there.”
Meanwhile, Desmond King, the team’s usual starting nickel safety, has started in place of Stingley. The Texans turned to King in 2021 after general manager Nick Caserio traded Bradly Roby to the Saints for a 2022 third-round pick, but the move was never considered to be permanent and highlighted the lack of depth at cornerback that eventually led to the rebuilding franchise selecting Stingley.
Beyond a horrid first half against the Dolphins, when Tua Tagovailoa threw for 278 yards and a touchdown to establish a 30-0 halftime lead, the Texans defense has shown moderate success against opposing passing attacks. Washington’s Taylor Heinicke was 15-of-27 passing for 191 yards in Stingley’s first absence, and Houston’s secondary help hold Deshaun Watson to his worst career quarterback rating in its 27-14 loss to Cleveland on Sunday.
Odds and ends
Texans defensive end Jonathan Greenard and safety Grayland Arnold
were both designated for return from the injured reserve on Wednesday, which kickstarts a 21-day window in which the franchise can add them to the active roster.
Greenard has missed eight games with a calf injury. The 2020 thirdround pick started in Houston’s first four games and recorded 1½ sacks and five tackles for loss. Texans coach Lovie Smith said Monday that Greenard “is better” but didn’t know “exactly how close he is” to being activated in time for Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.
Arnold spent the first three games of the regular season on Houston’s practice squad, and after he was elevated for a Week 3 loss against the Bears, the Kountze native was signed to the active roster on Oct. 1. Arnold played 98 special teams snaps in five games before sustaining a quad injury. He played some nickel safety during the preseason but hasn’t yet logged a defensive snap this season. …
The Texans claimed former Chiefs defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth off waivers and released defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour to make room on the roster for the acquisition. Dwumfour did not record a sack or tackle for loss in seven games this season.