RUNNING WITH THE ONES?
Early leader in Houston Texans quarterback competition revealed
May 23, 2023, 5:06 pm
Rookie CJ Stroud is playing with the second-team offense at OTAs. Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images.
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The Houston Texans are still months away from opening the 2023 season against the Baltimore Ravens, but that is not stopping fans and media from talking about the quarterback position as the team gets into voluntary organized team activities, or OTAs.
Houston opened its first OTA session to media on Tuesday and while a lot of the work on the field was as basic as vanilla ice cream, it was quarterback Davis Mills that was going first in the team’s reps ahead of No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud.
“I’m competing for that starting job,” Mills told reporters on Tuesday. “Since I’ve been drafted in the NFL, I have been in a competition. I don’t think anything is going to change. It’s been great getting to know C.J. so far. He is an extremely hard worker. It will be good to see how we go out there and compete every day and make each other better.”
Before sounding any alarms or creating the headlines, it is still way too early before any unofficial depth charts get released. Almost every player top to bottom on the Houston roster is learning the quirks and intricacies of the new offensive and defensive schemes.
For both Stroud and Mills, there is a lot to be determined between now and Sept. 10 when the Texans kick off the new year.
“I’m loving it man,” Stroud said. “This team has been very [accepting] of me, very honest and very transparent. What I love about it is nothing has been given to me. I have to earn everything, which I love, so it has been like that my whole career. It is nothing new.”
While Texans fans might have penciled in Stroud as the team’s QB1 since NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called his name in Kansas City, inside the building at NRG Stadium there is a lot more nuance to naming a starting play caller.
The focus for both quarterbacks right now is not on who is going first in OTA drills, but rather improving each day. Mills said he has been focused on himself and putting a lot of work into addressing his weaknesses.
Stroud said right now he wants to learn as much as possible including what his receivers like, timing on routes and absorbing Bobby Slowik’s offense methodically. Both play callers also have the benefit of learning from veteran Case Keenum.
“It is a blessing,” Stroud said. “It has been something that I definitely knew that I needed it. Just that guidance and that confidence that [both Mills and Keenum] had because they have both played in the league and have been starters. They have been very helpful.”
With first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans tasked to oversee everything revolving around the Houston Texans, his advantage is that players seem to respect his perspective as a former NFL player and his experience as a former Texan himself.
“He knows what comes with playing here and I mean he has just been great,” Stroud said. “Very vocal. He is really funny too, so it is cool to have a coach that is not all stuck up all the time or super mad. He has been amazing. Very transparent, communication has been great. He’s going to be a great head coach.”
When Ryans speaks, players listen, and his youth doesn’t hurt either when it comes to connecting with the current players. Coming out of Tuesday’s availability, it appears that Stroud is already two feet in Ryans’ vision for the Houston Texans.
“I think I am a natural-born competitor, so that is what I am here to do,” Stroud said. “But at the same time, being a great teammate is more important. So that is what I have been on just trying to embrace the relentless swarm that coach Ryans wants us to be on. That is what I plan to do. Just be a great teammate, be a great leader, be vocal [and] be confident.”
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Rich Eisen lays out how Stefon Diggs trade will impact Texans next season
Apr 19, 2024, 3:03 pm
Impersonal as it might seem to have their dynamic on-field relationship end with an exchange of phone texts, Bills quarterback Josh Allen made it clear on Thursday how much receiver Stefon Diggs meant to him during their four seasons together in Buffalo.
Allen made no mention of Diggs’ mercurial temperament or the occasional sideline flare-ups by expressing only praise in his first opportunity to discuss his now-former teammate being traded to the Houston Texans earlier this month.
“Just thanking him for everything that he did for me, and (I’ll) always have a spot in my heart for him. I’ll always love that guy like a brother. And I wish him nothing but the best,” Allen said, in disclosing what he texted to Diggs. “My lasting memory of Stef will be the receiver that helped me become the quarterback that I am today.”
Brought together in March 2020, when Buffalo gave up a first-round draft pick to acquire Diggs in a trade with Minnesota, the duo went on to re-write many of Buffalo's single-season passing and scoring records, and lead the team to four straight AFC East titles.
Diggs, now 30, also brought an inescapable sense of drama with him in raising questions about his commitment to the Bills and whether his tight relationship with Allen had soured.
A day before being traded, Diggs posted a message, “You sure?” on the social media platform X in response to someone suggesting he wasn’t essential to Allen’s success.
Whatever hard feelings, if any, lingered as Buffalo opened its voluntary workout sessions this week were not apparent from Allen or coach Sean McDermott, who also addressed reporters for the first time since Diggs was traded.
“Stef’s a great player, really enjoyed our time together. Won a lot of games and he was a huge factor in winning those games. We’ll miss him,” McDermott said. “You never replace a player like Stef Diggs, and we wish him well.”
Allen turned his focus to the future and a Bills team that spent much of the offseason retooling an aging and expensive roster.
Aside from trading Diggs, salary cap restrictions led to Buffalo cutting respected center Mitch Morse, the breakup of a veteran secondary that had been together since 2017, and the team unable to afford re-signing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis.
“I don’t think it’s a wrong thing or a bad thing to get younger,” said Allen, entering his seventh NFL season. “I think it’s an opportunity for myself to grow as a leader. And to bring along some of these young guys and new guys that we’ve brought in to our team. And that’s an opportunity, frankly, that I’m very excited about."
Despite the departures, the Bills offense is not exactly lacking even though general manager Brandon Beane is expected to target selecting a receiver with his first pick — currently 28th overall — in the draft next week.
Receiver Khalil Shakir enters his third year and tight end Dalton Kincaid enter his second following promising seasons. Buffalo also added veteran experience in signing free agent receiver Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins.
While Beane acknowledged the Bills lack a true No. 1 receiver, he noted there’s less urgency to fill that spot now than in 2020 because of how much the offense has developed under Allen.
“Now that Josh has ascended to the player he is, is that a requirement? I don’t think so,” Beane said.
Diggs’ role also began diminishing in the second half of last season, which coincided with Joe Brady replacing Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator. Brady placed an emphasis on adding balance to a pass-heavy attack and getting more receivers involved, which led to an uptick in production for Shakir and Kincaid.
While Diggs’ numbers dropped, Buffalo’s win total increased.
With the Bills at 6-6, Diggs ranked third in the NFL with 83 catches, seventh with 969 yards and tied for third with eight TDs receiving. Buffalo then closed the season with five straight wins in which Diggs combined for 24 catches for 214 yards and no scores.
”(Diggs) meant a lot. You look at the statistics, they don’t lie,” Allen said, in referring to Diggs topping 100 catches and 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons in Buffalo. “I don’t get paid to make changes on the team. I get paid to be the best quarterback that I can be and try to lead the guys on this team.”