DJ Bien-AimeNov 5, 2025, 04:20 PM ET
- DJ Bien-Aime covers the Houston Texans for ESPN. He joined ESPN in July of 2022 after covering the New York Jets for the New York Daily News. He's a former athlete who finished his college career at Louisville. You can catch DJ on ESPN Radio on his show "Talkin' Texans."
HOUSTON -- Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud will not play Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars because of a concussion.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Stroud was "feeling a little bit better" after hitting his head on the ground following a hard hit Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
Ryans added that the Texans want to see how Stroud progresses throughout the week. But clearly, Stroud didn't progress quickly enough to get cleared against the Jaguars. Backup quarterback Davis Mills will get the nod, according to Ryans.
"[Mills] has started games in his league before, so there's nothing new for him," Ryans said Wednesday. "It is a benefit for him, being able to get the reps throughout practice, get walk-through [reps], getting every single rep that he can get. He's done a good job with that. Today he did an outstanding job. We were efficient in and out of the huddle, at the line of scrimmage. He did a great job of communicating."
Mills, a 2021 third-round draft pick out of Stanford, started 26 games for Houston from 2021 to 2022 and went 5-19-1 while throwing for 5,802 yards with 33 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. Since Stroud's arrival in Houston, he has passed for 385 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Houston is 24th in the NFL in scoring offense at 21 points per game, even though Stroud's QBR (64.8) ranks 12th, which is a career high. On the season, Stroud has 11 passing touchdowns (tied for 19th) and 1,702 yards (19th).
In September, Mills signed an extension worth $7 million because Houston felt good about his ability to step in if Stroud was out. The deal keeps him in Houston through the 2026 season.
"You could play at any given snap. Unfortunate what happened to C.J. in the game," Mills said. "I got thrown in there. That's what I get paid to do, always be prepared, and it's nice having a full week of practice going into this game to attack this defense and go out there and compete with the guys."
Mills' last start came against the Indianapolis Colts in January 2023, when he threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns, as well as the game-winning 2-point conversion pass to tight end Jordan Akins. Ironically that game-winning pass is what pushed Houston from the projected No. 1 spot in the 2023 draft to No. 2, where it selected Stroud.
Mills steps into an important Week 10 game this season, as the Texans (3-5) and Jaguars (5-3) will meet in a pivotal divisional matchup. The reigning back-to-back division champion Texans are currently third in the AFC South, trailing the Indianapolis Colts (7-2) and the Jaguars.
The Texans already lost to the Jaguars in Week 3, so getting swept by a divisional opponent while dropping to 3-6 would hurt them in potential tiebreaking wild-card or divisional playoff scenarios.
