Texans' Davis Mills: Bypassed for starting nod

Mills is slated to remain the Texans' No. 2 quarterback Sunday against the Titans while Case Keenum draws the start in place of C.J. Stroud (concussion), who has been ruled out for the Week 15 contest, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

Stroud wasn't able to practice in any fashion this week and has yet to clear the five-step protocol after sustaining the concussion in the Texans' 30-6 loss to the Jets last Sunday. Though Mills has served as the top backup to Stroud all season and completed one of five pass attempts for four yards in relief of the rookie signal-caller late in last week's loss, the Texans had him and the 35-year-old Keenum split reps in practice throughout Week 15 prep. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, Keenum received the majority of the first-team reps, and he apparently acquitted himself well enough in those practices to get the starting nod over Mills, despite having been inactive as an emergency No. 3 quarterback for each of Houston's first 13 games of the season. Depending on how Keenum performs Week 15, he could end up sticking ahead of Mills as the No. 2 option moving forward once Stroud clears the protocol.