C.J. Stroud missed practice all week and remained in concussion protocol on Friday, but Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans isn’t ready to rule out his rookie quarterback.

Backup Davis Mills and third-string quarterback Case Keenum divided reps with the first-team offense during the week for the Texans (7-6), who are fighting to remain in playoff contention with the Tennessee Titans (5-8) hosting Houston on Sunday.

“Yeah, C.J., he’s starting to feel a little bit better, but still will be in concussion protocol. We still have our hopes that he can feel better, but we’ll see how the next couple days go,” Ryans said Friday post-practice.

Asked if he’s saying Stroud could still play this week, Ryans said: “He’s still in the concussion protocol. … We’ll update you guys on the game status when that time comes.”

Mills played the final 6:30 against the New York Jets after Stroud was forced out of last week’s game. He has plenty of experience with the Texans, starting 26 games over the previous two seasons — although Houston is just 5-20-1 in those games.

–Field Level Media