Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud is keeping his Ohio State football handshake tradition alive in the NFL ranks.

CJ Stroud shook the hands of every player on the Ohio State football roster during his college days at Ohio State. He has “25 to 30” handshakes with his Texans teammates to improve team camaraderie, per ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime.

One of CJ Stroud's most famous handshakes is with Texans wide receiver Tank Dell. Stroud and Dell shake hands every time they connect for a touchdown. They patterned their touchdown celebration after the “Squabble” TikTok dance.

The Texans duo developed their handshake after observing one of CJ Stroud's cousins during an offseason trip to Los Angeles.

“When they came out to LA, I brought a couple of my cousins over to our house, and we were all dancing, having a good time. Tank was like, ‘What's that dance? Bruh, that's hard.' That was going to be our handshake. So maybe we just kind of dapped it up and started doing it,” Stroud said.

Article Continues Below
Related Houston Texans News
Houston Texans former defensive end J.J. Watt in attendance as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Tennessee Titans.
NFL legend JJ Watt throws down epic dunk during Pat McAfee visitJosh Davis ·
image thumbnail
Texans’ riskiest move in 2025 NFL offseasonDouglas Fritz ·
Iowa State wideout and Houston Texans 2025 NFL Draft pick Jayden Higgins (WO18) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
NFL rumors: Texans, Browns the reason 2025 NFL Draft second-round picks aren’t signingTim Crean ·
Nick Chubb in the middle, Bears, Texans, Steelers logos in the background, Cloudy skies in the background
Ranking best Nick Chubb fits late in 2025 NFL free agencyEnzo Flojo ·
image thumbnail
Houston Texans 2 best trade targets to round out 2025 rosterEnzo Flojo ·
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud attends game six of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs between the Denver Nuggets and the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome.
Texans rumors: Mike Florio makes C.J. Stroud prediction after Brock Purdy contractBen Strauss ·

CJ Stroud is a great leader for the Texans

The Texans made CJ Stroud the second overall selection of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Ohio State football. Stroud's 1,660 passing yards currently ranks him fourth in the league. He has shown impressive accuracy through his first six starts. Stroud has thrown for nine touchdowns and just one interception through Week 6. With Stroud under center, the Texans have won three of their first six games.

One reason behind Stroud's early success is his exemplary leadership skills. He feels his teammates have trusted him more since training camp. First-year Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has certainly noticed this – he feels Stroud makes his teammates play hard every time.

It seems the Houston Texans found a keeper in quarterback CJ Stroud.