Texans rookie quarterback Davis Mills will remain the starter for Sunday's road game against the Arizona Cardinals.
And veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor remains the starting quarterback as far as his status whenever he returns from a Grade 2 strained hamstring, according to coach David Culley.
"Yes he is," Culley said.
Taylor remains on injured reserve and has not been designated for return to practice. Although he has made progress, Taylor is not ready to return as he deals with scar tissue in his leg and continues to rehabilitate his injury. Culley was noncommittal on if Taylor will be designated for return and launch his 21-day practice window this week.
"We hope so, I'm not really sure yet, we're just taking it week by week," Culley said when asked about Taylor's health status. "Hopefully, we'll try to get him a little bit of practice this week and see how it is. (Mobility) is part of his game. With a hamstring, until that thing is completely right and you play the game the way he plays the game, there's always that chance. We have methods and ways to look and see how strong it is and where he's at. When he gets to that point we know it's right, we'll have him back out on the field. And right now that's not that time."
Mills is 0-4 as a starter for the 1-5 Texans, experiencing the usual up-and-down situation of a rookie quarterback. He has completed 63.3 percent of his throws (88 for 139) for 912 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions and a 73.2 passer rating.
Culley remains noncommittal, though, on when Taylor will be designated for return from injured reserve and launch his 21-day practice window.
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. 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.
Culley emphasized that there will definitely be a ramp-up period for Taylor to make sure he doesn't have a setback with his left leg.
Culley has stated he doesn't believe in a starter losing a job due to an injury.
"No, I do not," Culley said. "He'll be our starting quarterback."
Culley's stance of a player not losing their job because of getting injured was welcomed by veteran players inside the Texans' locker room.
"I respect it and I appreciate it," said running back Mark Ingram Jr., a three-time Pro Bowl selection. "There's a lot of things you can control and can't control and one thing you can't control is injuries. To have a coach that believes in you and once you get healthy to start off where you left back, I think that is a blessing. That's someone that understands football.
"That's someone that understands the pedigree of football. Injuries are inevitable in football. To have a coach who believes in his guy and has his guy's back when they have an injury, that's something that's a blessing and something a lot of guys would appreciate."
Wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who caught nine passes for 89 yards on 13 targets during a 31-3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, emphasized that he's not playing any favorites on the pending quarterback decision. Mills did throw a bad interception over the middle as he was picked off by linebacker Darius Leonard with the turnover leading to a touchdown in the third quarter. The third-round draft pick from Stanford completed 29 of 43 passes for 243 yards and two interceptions at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“Love T, love Davis,” Cooks said. “At the end of the day, I love all my teammates. That’s a decision only a coach can make, that’s who I’ll put my trust in.”
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
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