The Facts: HC Lovie Smith is confident in Mills at Houston’s quarterback — and confident that Deshaun Watson will be elsewhere soon enough. Smith told Rich Eisen that while he’s not going to guarantee anyone a starting job in February, he fully expects Mills to play, and play well, for the Texans in 2022. “You don’t give out starting positions in the spring, but I love what Davis has done. He’s our quarterback going into the season,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of positions I’m worried about. Quarterback is not one of them.”

Diehards Line:What makes Smith, who was just hired as head coach, so confident in Mills? Smith said that last year, when he was defensive coordinator, he was impressed with everything Mills did as a rookie. “I love what Davis Mills did last year,” he said. “I feel real good about Davis leading our team, we’ve just got to get better people around him.” As for Watson, who sat out the entire 2021 season and continues to face sexual assault accusations from massage therapists, Smith said the Texans will trade him when the time is right. “Time takes care of a lot of things and time will take care of that situation too, with a favorable situation for Deshaun and us,” Smith said. As PFT suggests, getting the quarterback situation figured out will be a key to Smith earning some job security.