Texans place Taylor on IR, will start Mills at QB vs. Panthers

Houston Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor is out for Thursday's game against the Carolina Panthers and rookie passer Davis Mills will start, head coach David Culley said Tuesday, according to Deepi Sidhu of HoustonTexans.com.

Taylor suffered a hamstring injury Sunday versus the Cleveland Browns and will miss at least three games after being placed on the injured reserve, the Texans announced.

The Texans had already said three-time Pro Bowler Deshaun Watson won't be active in Week 3, so the team is expected to bring Jeff Driskel up from the practice squad to serve as Mills' backup.

Houston selected Mills in the third round this past April. The Stanford product made his first NFL appearance Sunday in relief of Taylor, tossing for 102 yards and one touchdown against one interception on 8-of-18 passing.

"He's ready. He's been exactly what you want from your backup QB to be," Culley said of Mills, according to Cole Thompson of FanNation.

The Texans also placed third-round rookie wide receiver Nico Collins on the injured reserve, but they're welcoming Anthony Miller back. Miller has yet to play this campaign after joining Houston over the offseason in a trade from the Chicago Bears.