It could be a year where Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud cuts loose. But the offensive line will be a key to his success or failure. However, Stroud shut down the sophomore slump narrative from last season, according to a YouTube post by Inside Coverage.
“I really try not to harp back on last year,” Stroud said. “I learned my lessons. (And) I don’t know what people expect from me. But that’s a whole different conversation. But I do believe that I am still a great player.”
Stroud threw for 3,727 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions after a rookie year with 4,108 yards, 23 scoring strikes, and only five picks.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud ready to soar
Stroud apparently didn’t lose any confidence last season.
“I do think I’m still a top quarterback in this league,” he said “I’ve put it on tape. I just think things around me haven’t always been the best, just because of injuries. So that hasn’t been easy, but I still believe in myself. I know my team does, my family does, and I think that’s all that really matters.”
Stroud will have to overcome problems with the offensive line. Pro Football Focus ranked the Texans dead last in the NFL.
“The presence of veterans Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason prevented an already shaky Texans' offensive line from being even worse in 2024, and the team cut ties with both this offseason,” Zoltán Buday wrote. “Now there is very little to suggest that the group isn't deserving of the No. 32 ranking ahead of the 2025 season.”
Still, there’s a lot of optimism, and Stroud is the main reason. Head coach DeMeco Ryans said the Texans have lofty goals for 2025 after the end of last season. And he didn’t back away from it Wednesday, according to ESPN.
“I think at that moment, I said what I said,” Ryans told ESPN. “But that's how I always feel. Everything that I've always done in life is to be the best. So how can you go to work, and it's like, ‘Oh, I'm OK just giving it a good shot?' I just never understood that.”
Additionally, Stroud said he’s excited about the new offense under new offensive coordinator Nick Caley.
“It's exciting,” Stroud said. “It's very great,” Stroud said of the new offense. [Caley] comes from a different style than I'm used to, at least in the NFL. So, it's cool just to learn something new and put another tool in my toolbox.
“Being able to see things that maybe coaches don't see. Being on the field, I'm able to have a different point of view. I think that'll be helpful for our guys.”
