A look at what to expect from Texans rookie quarterback C.J Stroud.
Ever since Deshaun Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2022, the Texans have been in search for it’s next franchise quarterback.
The Texans drafted Stanford quarterback Davis Mills in the third-round of the 2021 NFL Draft and gave him the opportunity to start 11 games in 2021 and 15 games in 2022. Mills was good enough his rookie year for the team to give him another chance to prove himself throughout his sophomore year, but took a major step back and was benched for backup quarterback Kyle Allen.
You can argue that Mills did not have the right coaching or pieces around him to truly succeed, and that may be true, but the team decided to go in a different direction and draft Ohio State quarterback C.J Stroud with their second-overall pick.
Any player drafted as high as Stroud was will have significant pressure to become a productive player immediately, and based on everything the Texans have done this offseason to build their roster and ensure that the young quarterback will have everything he needs to be successful, Stroud is set up to make some noise early and quickly.
Although the offense as a whole may need some more pieces, it is a major step up from recent years. The Texans are set to have the most cap space in the NFL by a wide margin next offseason and will certainly upgrade the offense even more in due time.
Stroud has an impressive Texans coaching staff around him in head coach DeMeco Ryans, quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, which is likely to be a dramatic step up from what the team has had throughout the past few seasons.
Players the Houston Texans have added to their offense this offseason:
- Quarterback C.J Stroud
- Tight End Dalton Schultz
- Wide Receiver Robert Woods
- Wide Receiver Noah Brown
- Wide Receiver Tank Dell
- Wide Receiver Xavier Hutchinson
- Running Back Devin Singletary
- Guard Shaq Mason
- Center Juice Scruggs
Although it will absolutely take time for the Texans offense to gel due to several new additions at various positions, along with Stroud adjusting to life outside of Ohio State’s very quarterback friendly offense, the young quarterback is set up to have early success throughout his rookie season. Stroud currently has the fourth-highest odds to be the offensive rookie of the year, behind Bryce Young, Bijan Robinson and Anthony Richardson.