NFL Analyst Gives Houston Texans QB Room High Rankings

As the 2022 NFL season concluded, no team appeared to have a bleaker immediate future than the Houston Texans. They hadn’t won more than four games in three years, their offense was still among the worst in the league, and their defense was a mess.

Hope arrived in Houston last year in the form of a promising trio that included a new head coach, a great young franchise quarterback and a top-notch young pass rusher. DeMeco Ryans and Will Anderson Jr. both deserve a lot of the credit for that turnaround, as does general manager Nick Caserio. However, the arrival of C.J. Stroud and his meteoric rise to the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks is the best news the team has received since its inception in 2002.

Stroud has proven to be not only the best quarterback in his draft class in terms of yardage, but he’s already one of the best passers in the entire league, earning consistent top-10 rankings this offseason, as he should be. With Stroud atop the depth chart, a quality receiving corps alongside him and a savvy player in offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, the Texans’ passing game is in good hands and should be for a long time.

Houston’s quarterback room is also good up the middle and downfield. In his 2024 offseason unit rankings, ESPN analyst Mike Clay placed the Texans’ quarterback room of Stroud, Davis Mills and Case Keenum eighth in the league behind:

1. Kansas City Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes, Carson Wentz, Ian Book)

2. Buffalo Bills (Josh Allen, Mitch Trubisky, Shane Buechele)

3. Baltimore Ravens (Lamar Jackson, Josh Johnson, Devin Leary)

4. Cincinnati Bengals (Joe Burrow, Jake Browning, Logan Woodside)

5. New York Jets (Aaron Rodgers, Tyrod Taylor, Jordan Travis)

6. Dallas Cowboys (Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, Trey Lance)

7. Los Angeles Rams (Matt Stafford, Jimmy Garoppolo, Stetson Bennett)

This is a very solid company to hold and is a perfect ranking as far as we are concerned. At the very least, Davis Mills has aggressive instincts and has shown great promise in 2021 and 2022, even if the results haven’t always been there. Meanwhile, Case Keenum offers a wealth of experience, having played for seven different teams and started 66 games since the 2013 season.

You wouldn’t want them to fill in for Stroud for more than a few games if Stroud suffers a minor injury during the season, but they offer enough upside to be sure to see them start if that happens. But it all depends on Stroud and his future development. As he advances, so will the Houston Texans.