NFL analyst gives strong ranking to Houston Texans QB room
At the end of the 2022 NFL season, no team looked to have a more dismal immediate future than the Houston Texans. They hadn't won more than four games in three years, their offense was consistently among the league's worst and their defense was a mess
Hope arrived in Houston last year in the form of a promising trinity, consisting of a new head coach, an excellent young franchise quarterback and a premier young pass rusher. DeMeco Ryans and Will Anderson Jr. both deserve a good deal of the credit for the turnaround, as does general manager Nick Caserio. However, the arrival of C.J. Stroud and his rocket-fueled ascension into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks is the best news the team has gotten since its inception in 2002.
Stroud turned out to be not only the best quarterback in his draft class by miles, but he's already one of the top passers in the entire league, earning consistent top-10 rankings this offseason as he should. With Stroud out the top of the depth chart, a quality wide receiver corps at his side and a sharp playcaller in offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, the Texans passing game is in good hands and should be for a long time to come.
Houston's quarterback room is good in the middle and at the bottom as well though. In his 2024 offseason unit rankings, ESPN analyst Mike Clay put the Texans' quarterback room consisting of Stroud, Davis Mills and Case Keenum as the eighth-best 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)
That's some very strong company to keep and it's a perfect ranking as far as we are concerned. If nothing else, Davis Mills has aggressive instincts and showed a good deal of promise in 2021 and 2022, even if the results weren't always there. Meanwhile, Case Keenum offers a wealth of experience, having played for seven different teams and starting 66 games since the 2013 season.
You wouldn't want either filling in for more than a few games if Stroud suffers a minor injury during the season, but they offer enough to feel confident about them starting if that does end up happening. All depends on Stroud and his development going forward, though. As he goes, so will the Houston Texans.