All the accolades that C.J. Stroud achieved a year ago can make it difficult to remember that he’s still a learning and developing NFL quarterback.
There’s a definite difference between getting cleats on the ground in a new facility, acclimating to professional life and proving one’s mettle the offseason before a rookie year and entering the summer in year two as the face of a franchise.
Now, Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik are trusting Stroud to fully drive their offense in 2024. And Stroud feels the contrast between this year’s OTAs and last year’s.
“It’s night and day, man,” Stroud said on June 4. “I feel like I’m running the show, and I’ve got a lot more responsibilities from (Slowik) and from DeMeco, from (quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson), Bill (Lazor) and really our whole offensive staff. I’m the captain of the ship, and I’ve gotta run it the right way. I feel like I’ve stepped into that role of not only holding other guys accountable but holding myself accountable to those moments. I don’t let anything slide.”
The short version of Stroud’s 2023 campaign is that he delivered on every ounce of hype baked into his No. 2 overall NFL draft selection and became the AP, PFWA and NFL fans’ Offensive Rookie of the Year for the entire league.
The longer version is that Stroud came out of the gates firing, setting an NFL record for most consecutive passes to start a career without an interception. He crossed the 300-yard plateau passing in two of his first four games, and suddenly, the Texans – who hadn’t won more than four games in a season since 2019 – started rattling off victories.
Stroud threw for a rookie-record 470 yards in a 39-37 win over Tampa Bay in Week 9, then led a game-winning touchdown drive against Cincinnati the following Sunday to push Houston past .500 at 5-4.
Ultimately, Stroud landed third all-time among rookies with 4,108 yards in his first campaign, tossing 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions as the Texans went 10-7. Only one percent of his throws resulted in picks, a mark that led the league. He then guided the Texans to their first playoff win since 2019, trouncing the Cleveland Browns 45-14. Baltimore ended Houston’s run in the divisional round, putting a 34-10 cap on its campaign.
“The times we executed at a high level are the times we won those games, so that’s the goal is just to execute,” Stroud said. “Be able to be on the same page, build chemistry right now so when the ball rolls, we’re ready to fly around at a high level. That’s the goal and there’s goals on top of that, but that’s the foundation. OTAs are foundational work.”
This offseason the Texans added weaponry for Stroud to get the ball to, chiefly star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who they shipped a 2024 sixth-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills to acquire. Diggs is a four-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro fresh off six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He pulled in 107 receptions for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023.
Diggs and Stroud actually had a chance run-in as participants at this past year’s Pro Bowl, and the pass catcher holds his future quarterback in high regard.
“It just happened organically that he was not too many seats from me at the Pro Bowl where we got dressed and did all that,” Diggs said. “We had chopped it up a little bit, and I kind of got to know him a little bit. I’m like, ‘Damn, he's pretty cool.’ So when things started hitting the fan (in Buffalo), Houston was on the radar. Ironically, I don’t believe in coincidence, everything happens for a reason. I asked God to light my path, and here I am. So that was definitely something to get super excited about, and I don’t know how many times I smiled.”
When they last met with reporters in June, Stroud and Diggs had been working together mere days. But even then some chemistry had started developing. Diggs shared some insight on the play of Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, who’s finished top three in MVP voting twice in his six-year NFL career.
“He’s been fitting in great,” Stroud said of Diggs. “He’s come in with a head-down mentality, just working. He’s helped me out a lot. He comes from a good system over there when he was with the Bills, and they did a lot of things with him in the offense. (He’s) telling me how Josh played and things like that, things that we do differently. We’ve had plenty of conversation. He’s come in and been a leader.”
"It’s night and day man. I feel like I’m running the show."– C.J. Stroud on the difference from last year's OTAs to this year's
Another offseason addition came in the form of a familiar face, one former Ohio State tight end Cade Stover, who Houston selected 123rd in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft. Stover enjoyed a breakout 2022 campaign off the strength of Stroud’s arm, catching 36 passes for 406 yards and five touchdowns for the Buckeyes. While the signal caller went through his season with Houston, Stover posted another 41 receptions, 576 yards and five touchdowns for OSU in 2023.
“Cade’s my brother,” Stroud said. “I’ve been through thick and thin with him and he’s somebody who I often look at like – our moms are like the same. Our families have been super close since college. I think he’s like my blood brother somewhere far down the line. I don’t know how it works (laughs). He’s always there for me.”
Stroud added that the competition he witnessed at Ohio State with its elite line of wide receivers helped elevate his game. First-round draft picks Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr. and potential future first-round pick Emeka Egbuka all played with Stroud at some point in Columbus.
Stroud sees a similar level of “healthy competition” in the Texans’ receiving room. Alongside Diggs, Nico Collins returns off a 1,297-yard season for Houston in 2023 while Tank Dell enters his second professional campaign after racking up 709 yards in just 11 games as a rookie. Fellow former Buckeye Noah Brown posted 567 in his own right. They’ll all get touches alongside tight end Dalton Schultz, who racked up 59 receptions, 635 yards and five touchdowns last year.
One of the more impressive elements of Stroud to Ryans is his ability to relate to such various players who come from such diverse backgrounds.
“His ability to connect with many different people from all walks of life definitely helps him to win a locker room,” Ryans said. “When your quarterback is your leader, and he’s connected with everyone in the locker room – not just the offensive side, but he’s connected to everyone – it makes it easier for our team to progress and move forward much quicker because of his leadership ability.”
That initiative has kept on booming in 2024, Ryans added.
“C.J. is continuing to grow in his leadership,” Ryans said. “Just seeing him today, the offense wasn’t doing that great, and to see him stop it, bring all the guys together, settle them down. You talk about from year one to year two, you didn’t see that from C.J. (last year). And that’s what you love to see in your quarterback, him having an awareness of how practice is going and having the wherewithal to course correct.”
As he enters his second season, Stroud is seeing himself improve in all areas of his game. Now that he feels more like the captain of Houston’s ship, he hopes to steer the Texans to even greater heights in 2024.
“I think from last year to this year, I’ve gotten a lot better at controlling my emotions, controlling my ball placement, knowing what’s NFL open,” Stroud said. “Knowing my footwork better. Really every little thing, I’ve taken a step. And then the other side of the ball, everything’s slowed down. I’m seeing coverage. DeMeco does a good job of blitzing me and working all their different coverages and different looks.”
