# Jared Koch: Koch expects Houston to move forward with just C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills as their active quarterbacks once the regular season begins, with Stroud starting and Mills backing him up, while the team signs another arm to take preseason snaps and possibly compete for a 53-man roster spot.

**Claimed:** Aug 14, 2026
**Pundit:** Jared Koch — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/jared-koch
**Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/sports-illustrated
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi/texans-fear-graham-mertz-suffered-acl-injury-vs-chargers

2 checkable claims — 2 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.

Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 1.

> Stroud and Mills can certainly keep things afloat in the room by themselves, and will likely be the only two players who are activated on gamedays once the regular season arrives

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Davis Mills to be 2nd on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Davis Mills, Houston Texans
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **C.J. Stroud to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Davis Mills — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/davis-mills
- Houston Texans — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/texans
- C.J. Stroud — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/c-j-stroud

## What others said about the same people

- Colin Cowherd on Houston Texans: Cowherd repeats his claim that Caleb Williams will be viewed as a top four or five quarterback by the end of the season, restates his preseason pick of the Ravens to win their division, and expects a angry Houston defense to beat Cincinnati on Sunday. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/e43d4655-1b30-4892-a8ee-3cfe6bf29dba (scored 0)
- Chris Broussard on Houston Texans: Brew stood by the Lions as division winners and playoff team, picked the Texans over Cincinnati, the Bears over Minnesota, the Patriots to beat Pittsburgh with a solid Drake Maye game, flagged Jacksonville over Denver as his upset alert, and said he still feels good about the Ravens winning the AFC. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/a54915e0-49e6-427b-a7a5-4feb5d0f3cbb (scored 0)
- Greg Jennings on Houston Texans: Jennings put the Cardinals up as his upset alert over Seattle, backed the Texans over Cincinnati and the Bears over Minnesota with chips, put two chips on Denver beating Jacksonville, and wrote a headline of the Packers beating the Jets; he also called the Bengals a playoff team and the Chiefs winners over Indianapolis. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/420d3e29-6224-43a2-8d68-b15c864838cd (scored 0)
- Nick Wright on Houston Texans: Wright stuck by his preseason call of a 12-5 Bills team that wins its division, picked the Jaguars to beat Denver outright, leaned Texans over Cincinnati, still has Atlanta as his deep sleeper, counts New England among his 14 playoff teams, and recalled pegging Washington for a 5-12 or 6-11 year with a bottom-six defense. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/d9357a30-3f1d-4be4-8ce6-529f21f9aeac (scored 0)
- John Granato on Houston Texans: Despite the Texans' injuries at wide receiver, he picked Houston to beat Cincinnati in their upcoming game. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/9d9f9b6b-94a8-48dc-aa1b-e2549b84a2eb (scored 0)
- Lance Zierlein on Houston Texans: Zierlein expected Nico Collins to sit out with his injury, and said that despite the tough matchup he had already submitted the Texans as his pick over Cincinnati. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/7d5b2172-ce70-4885-9a4e-8661f1781241 (scored 0)

## More depth chart calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Pat Fitzmaurice on Aaron Jones: In previewing the 10 most intriguing fantasy performers of Week 2, Fitzmaurice expects Atlanta's quarterback problems to persist with Tua Tagovailoa unlikely to play and Michael Penix Jr. not ready to return, flags Falcons slot corner Billy Bowman Jr. as a possible Week 2 returnee, and describes Aaron Jones as Minnesota's lead back and Kaelon Black as the clear backup to Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/31adc8bb-8f15-453f-bbcf-cab44e29b8b3 (scored 100)
- Matt Severance on Deshaun Watson: The CBS Sports preview backs Tampa Bay to beat Cleveland in the Bucs' Week 2 home opener, and states that Deshaun Watson — not Shedeur Sanders — will be Cleveland's starting quarterback in Week 2. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/944568ce-7205-409f-8354-a392016fd8bf (scored 100)
- Rafael Zamorano on Deshaun Watson: Zamorano reports Watson will start Week 2 at Tampa Bay and suggests there's little reason to expect improvement, raising the possibility Watson's five-year contract never yields more than single-digit wins. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/d7d7e0a2-61e0-4525-970b-b01a2356f11b (scored 100)
- Rich Hribar on Tua Tagovailoa: Hribar expects Tua Tagovailoa to be Atlanta's starting quarterback for Week 2 while Michael Penix stays out, with Penix's return closer to Week 4. He is unenthusiastic about the Falcons' offense either way and treats Bryce Young as a fringe fantasy starter. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/124ac755-a942-4382-8bad-177da7f8170d (scored 0)
- Bradley Locker on Carson Wentz: PFF's unsigned adjusted power rankings after Week 1 of the 2026 season place the Bills first, the Rams second and the Dolphins last, with notes on quarterback situations in Seattle, Minnesota and Cleveland. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/a3716f21-0488-4fc8-a414-c25c2d781a6e (scored 100)
- Tyler Sullivan on Michael Penix Jr.: In a Week 1 recap with no named byline, CBS Sports suggested Michael Penix Jr. would take over as Atlanta's Week 2 starter if healthy, called Ashton Jeanty's sophomore breakout imminent, and warned readers not to overlook San Francisco as NFC West winners. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/1000d8d0-5de1-405e-b8ce-255cde75a32d (scored 0)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

Full method: https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/methodology

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