C.J. Stroud Named Texans' Starting QB Over Davis Mills for 2023 NFL Season

The inevitable became a reality on Sunday as the Houston Texans named rookie C.J. Stroud as their starting quarterback. He will make his regular-season debut on Sunday, Sept. 10, when Houston visits the Baltimore Ravens at 1 p.m. ET.

Stroud discussed the matter after Sunday's 17-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints in the Texans' preseason finale:

The 21-year-old completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 8,123 yards, 85 touchdowns and 12 interceptions during his two years as Ohio State's starter. The Texans then selected him as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft.

He joined a Texans team that's been reeling for the past three years, winning only 11 games during that span. Houston hadn't found a long-term replacement for Deshaun Watson, whose playing days with the team came to an end after the 2020 campaign.

Davis Mills, a third-year pro out of Stanford, has started 26 of the Texans' games after Houston selected him with a third-round choice in 2021. For his career, Mills has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 5,782 yards (6.6 yards per attempt) and 33 touchdowns against 25 interceptions.

Mills is sticking around as the team's backup, but the Texans have decided to start the Stroud era right away.

Stroud started all three of the Texans' preseason games, completing 11-of-20 passes for 89 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans provided encouraging words about Stroud following his second preseason performance against the Miami Dolphins.

Stroud notably made some good throws, including this pass to tight end Noah Brown:

At the time, Ryans stopped short of naming Stroud the starter for the season opener.

"We'll have a starter in Baltimore," Ryans told reporters. "It's the same as I said previously. You guys will see the starter when we get to Baltimore."

However, the future is clear now as the Texans give the keys of the franchise to Stroud.