The Facts: If there was hope for the future to be found anywhere in the Texans' dismal season, it was Mills. New HC Lovie Smith saw plenty of Mills as the club's defensive coordinator last year, and is keenly aware of the rookie's promise. "For us, of course, Davis Mills came in and did some good things. You know, when you're not the starter, you get a chance to go against the (first) defense each week, so I got a chance to see him in a lot of different situations," Smith said Wednesday. "He played about as well as any of the rookie quarterbacks did last year. So (I'm) excited about some of the things that he can bring."

Diehards Line: The rookie quarterback piloted two of the team's four wins over the final month of the season, and after being given the starting nod in Week 14, he threw nine touchdown passes with only two interceptions down the stretch. But it was a rough start as he threw six interceptions and failed to win a game over his first seven starts. Smith has promoted Pep Hamilton from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, giving Mills a familiar face to work with for his second year in the league. It remains to be seen whether the club selects a quarterback early in the draft despite the upward-pointing arrow on Mills; but with Deshaun Watson's future up in the air and Tyrod Taylor heading to free agency, Mills will be part of the plan.