Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor, just as he did last week, will practice this week as he continues to work his way back from a Grade 2 hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the past six games.
Texans coach David Culley was noncommittal on whether Taylor will be back on the field Sunday against the Miami Dolphins as they evaluate the health of his left leg he injured while running for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns. No decision has been made at this time.
"With Tyrod, we'll kind of see where he's at on Wednesday," Culley saidMonday morningat NRG Stadium. "He practiced last week. He'll practice this week. Maybe by the end of the week, we’ll have an idea of what we think. He took some first-team reps last week. He'll do the same thing this week.
The Texans are 1-7 overall and on a seven-game losing streak and have a bye after the Miami game. They could just stick with rookie quarterback Davis Mills, who's 0-6 as the starter since being drafted in the third round out of Stanford.
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A former Pro Bowl selection, Taylor completed 10 of 11 passes for 125 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for a 144.3 passer rating before having to leave the Browns game at halftime after hurting while running for a touchdown with defensive end Myles Garrett swiping at his left leg. Taylor completed 70.5 percent of his throws for 416 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a career-high 122.9 passer rating before the injury.
The Texans won their only game of the season with Taylor under center against the Jacksonville Jaguars to start the season and were leading the Browns at halftime when Taylor exited the game.
Mills was sacked a season-high five times, including 1 1/2 times byAaron Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and twice by Leonard Floyd and hit nine times overall during a 38-22 defeat Sunday at NRG Stadium as the Texans lost their seventh consecutive game.
Mills rallied the Texans a bit while orchestrating a hurry-up offense in the fourth quarter with the game already out of reach and the Rams having already pulled starting quarterback Matthew Stafford after three quarters while holding a commanding 38-0 lead. It wasn’t nearly enough, though, despite Mills completing 29 of 38 passes for 310 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for a 106.3 passer rating.
Mills has passed for 1,357 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions for an 80.2 passer rating. He’s been sacked 20 times.
"He is so conscious about protecting the football," Culley said of Mills' cautious approach. "I thought other than the one bad throw he made, he's done that. He's doing that. Basically the way we do things and are calling things, he's doing what he needs to do. We did not play very good football at all, in any phase. When that happens, it doesn't matter what we do.
"It ain't just about the quarterback. It's about our entire offensive football team needs to get better. Our defense needs to get better. Our special teams needs to get better. We need to coach better. It's not just him. He touches the ball, but he's not the guy who's responsible for everything that happening. Everybody has to do their job. We have to do a better job of coaching."
Aaron Wilson has covered the NFL for 20 seasons, including the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He has previously written for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. He’s on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL and Instagram: @aaronwilson7128.