Almost one week ago, Pro Football Focus contributors Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick ranked all 32 starting NFL quarterbacks ahead of the 2026 regular season.
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud found himself at 17th on the list, which is a far cry from the "top-five" status that he declared of himself after his historic 2023 rookie season. However, it's actually surprisingly fair given how much league-wide equity that 24-year-old signal caller lost after last season's disastrous ending. According to PFF, the only field generals ahead of him were:
- Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
- Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
- Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
- Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
- Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
- Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
- Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
- Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
- Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
- Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
- Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
- Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
- Sam Darnold (Seattle Seahawks)
- Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
This is a solid list, all things considered. Stroud even notably landed ahead of Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Bo Nix (Denver Broncos) and Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers), which might be its own level of controversial if you asked the fan bases of these latter three quarterbacks.
Still, the overall assessment of Stroud according to the writing duo is reflective of the kind of analytical decline that has befallen the embattled passer as of late.
C.J. Stroud has a lot of work to do to improve in 2026
"Stroud regressed significantly in 2025 as he continued to deal with poor pass protection and injuries," began the ranking description, highlighting some of the surrounding context of his struggles last season. The section went on to provide further analysis by saying,
"His 62.0 PFF passing grade ranked 34th among 43 qualifying quarterbacks, including the postseason. He also committed a career-high 23 turnover-worthy plays, 10 of which came in Houston’s two postseason games against Pittsburgh and New England."
As was expected, a lot of the negative perception of Stroud is still rooted in his catastrophic two-game stretch in 2025's AFC Playoffs, as his five fumbles and five interceptions are still freshly on the minds of any and everyone looking to take their shots at Stroud. The section then finished by specifically mentioning Stroud's performance under pressure.
"The Texans’ offensive line should improve after the additions they made this offseason, but Stroud will still need to handle pressure better in 2026. His 35.5 PFF passing grade under pressure ranked fourth-worst among qualifying quarterbacks. He also tied for the league lead in interceptions thrown under pressure (8). If Stroud can regain his confidence behind a revamped offensive line, Houston could be a Super Bowl contender."
Overall, these are all talking points that have been address by everyone from new quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski, to All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., to offensive coordinator Nick Caley and even head coach DeMeco Ryans.
Stroud looks the most dialed in that he's ever been heading into the latter parts of the offseason. If Stroud truly learns from last season's failures and can implement those lessons when live reps begin in September, the Texans could finally be headed toward their first Conference Championship game in franchise history, if not more.
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