Houston Texans QB: Davis Mills out, Kyle Allen in vs. Miami, sources tell ESPN

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Texans' Davis Mills project in 2022 appears to be no longer a thing going forward.

The team's starting quarterback for the first 11 games of the season is getting the hook for this Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Backup QB Kyle Allen is getting the start for the Thanksgiving weekend road matchup.

NFL Network first reported that Allen would start against the Dolphins.

The benching comes on the heels of Mills' worst performance of the season Sunday in a 23-10 loss to the Washington Commanders. Against the Commanders, Mills completed 57.6% of his passes for 169 yards and two interceptions, including a pick-six on the opening drive.

Texans coach Lovie Smith had declined to name a starting quarterback during his Wednesday news conference, saying he didn't want to "give the opponent an advantage."

Texans are a bottom NFL offense with Mills

The Texans had hoped Mills, a 2021 third-round pick out of Stanford, could become the quarterback of the future after showing promise in his rookie year. But he has struggled through his sophomore year, with his completion percentage falling to 61.9% and his passer rating dipping to 78.1, ranking in the bottom 10 in the NFL in both categories.

Mills has also had an NFL-high 11 passes intercepted, surpassing his interception total (10) from last season.

The Texans hope the switch to Allen will provide a spark to an offense that ranks 32nd in total yards per game (285.9) and 26th in passing yards per game (192.2).

Re-introducing Kyle Allen

This is Allen's fifth season in the NFL after spending his first four years with the Carolina Panthers and Commanders. He is 7-10 as a starter with 24 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in his career.

Allen, an Arizona native, has deep ties to Texas football, going back to his days first at Texas A&M and later at University of Houston.

While he began his freshman year with the Aggies in 2014 as the backup, Allen ascended to the starter role mid-season. In the following season as a sophomore, he remained the starter, kicking off the year 5-0, before a disastrous game against Alabama shifted the focus on a future No. 1 overall pick, Kyler Murray.

After riding the bench, he transferred to UH, sat out a year, and then began the 2017 season as the starting QB. He was replaced in that role midseason.

Allen declared for the 2018 NFL Draft, but wasn't selected. He was signed by Carolina before the 2018 season, able to win a job on the active roster.

After star QB Cam Newton went down late in the 2018 season, Allen moved up in the depth chart, and on Dec. 23, 2018, made his regular season debut against Atlanta.

The following week, Allen made his first NFL start, leading the Panthers to a 33-14 win over the playoff-bound New Orleans Saints.

Taking over again for an injured Newton as the primary backup, Allen debuted in 2019 during Carolina's Week 3 contest against former teammate Murray and his Arizona Cardinals. Allen threw for four touchdowns in a win over his home state team.

As a Panther, Allen faced the Texans in the 2019 season and claimed victory in a 16-10 game.

ESPN contributed to this report.