Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud couldn’t get a win in his first NFL start, but he did manage to impress his coaches in the process.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik praised Stroud for showing great accuracy, pocket presence and athleticism during the loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
“For a young quarterback, he’s very functional from the pocket, which is rare, and he has elite accuracy, the ball goes where he wants it to go,” Slowik said. “I think he’s shown in the NFL, in one game, that he has more athleticism than a lot of people gave him credit for.”
Stroud completed 63.6-percent of his passes for 242 yards in the 25-9 loss.
Texans OC says C.J. Stroud showed pocket passing, accuracy, athleticism in Week 1. https://t.co/fg864Kk3rl
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 14, 2023
C.J. Stroud was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after a superb career at Ohio State. He was the highest-drafted Ohio State quarterback ever and only the third to go in the first round of the draft since the 1980s.
The Texans threw Stroud into the deep end of the pool early by naming him the starter. He’s undoubtedly going to face a lot of adversity this season.
But for now, he’s showing signs that he has the talent to keep starting.