NFL analyst gives Houston Texans QB room high marks

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 as a promising trinity of a new head coach, an excellent young franchise quarterback and a top-notch young passer. Both DeMeco Ryans and Will Anderson Jr. deserve much of the credit for the turnaround, as does general manager Nick Caserio. However, the arrival of CJ Stroud and his catapulted 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, but he’s already one of the best passers in the entire league, consistently earning top-10 rankings this offseason, as he should be. With Stroud out of the top tier, a quality receiving corps alongside him, and a top-tier offensive coordinator in Bobby Slowik, the Texans’ passing game is in good hands and should be for a long time to come.

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 also wouldn’t want to replace more than a few games if Stroud suffers a minor injury during the season, but they offer enough to have confidence in starting if that ends up happening. However, it all depends on Stroud and his future development. As he leaves, so will the Houston Texans.