During Sunday afternoon’s loss to the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans star quarterback C.J. Stroud suffered a scary head injury when he took a hit while sliding late amid a scramble. Stroud did not finish the game, and it sounds like he’ll be out for this week, too.
Stroud suffered a concussion during the game and remained in concussion protocol throughout the week. On Monday and Tuesday, the team did not give an update on his status, but on Wednesday, head coach DeMeco Ryans made it clear that Stroud will not play in this week’s showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
During his press conference on Wednesday, Ryans confirmed that Stroud “will be out” for this week’s game after the head injury. In his place, the team will start veteran quarterback Davis Mills, according to Adam Schefter.
With C.J. Stroud out, Davis Mills will step in for his first start of the season. In Sunday’s loss to Denver, Mills came into the game in place of Stroud and went 17-of-30 for 137 yards. It marked his second appearance this year, having previously gone 2-for-4 in garbage time during Houston’s 44-10 blowout win over Baltimore on Oct. 10.
Mills hasn’t started a game since the 2022 season, the year before Houston selected Stroud. Over his career, the quarterback has played in 40 games with 26 starts, completing 62.3 percent of his passes for 6,327 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions.
We’ll have to see how Mills performs this week in place of Stroud. We’ll also have to see when Stroud returns to the field.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.