As good as C.J. Stroud was in 2023, it turns out he could've been even better

C.J. Stroud's rise in 2023 was remarkable. He did things last season that few could do. Not just currently in the NFL but frankly in the game's history. As a rookie, he led the turnaround of one of the more downtrodden franchises in recent memory. Stroud single-handily improved the stock of numerous guys on the roster, like Nico Collins. He proved his worth tenfold.

The numbers that the Texans' quarterback put up were astounding. It boggles the mind to think that he could've been better. Which, it turns out, is exactly the scenario we find ourselves in. Yes, Stroud's stats could have been significantly better it turns out. We're not talking about arbitrarily, either. No, we're talking about matters of fact and stats.

According to Warren Sharp on Twitter/X, the Texans were tied for 6th among all NFL teams with receiver-error incompletions. 20% of all incompletions were due to a receiver making a mistake.

To put that in context, had those passes landed as intended, his completion percentage would have leaped from just under 64% to over 71%. He likely would've had two or three more touchdowns as well, making his stats far more impressive than they already were. Figures that were already quite impressive.

Knowing how often the receivers dropped passes and otherwise messed up, it's fair to see why the Texans may have gone out and gotten Stefon Diggs. It was a trade that made sense as far as adding a high-caliber talent to pair with a young gunslinger. Now it makes even more sense, however, as Diggs showed a lot of steady play in Buffalo while he was with the Bills.

If he can come in and be that same consistent player for the Texans, maybe the drops and other errors go down, helping Stroud avoid losing that 20% to receiver error.