It's been an offseason of tremendous buildup for these Houston Texans, after the team added so much talent on both sides of the football. But, none of the buildup would be happening if it weren't for the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Some of the things Stroud did as a rookie were things rarely seen by Texans fans from within the organization, and now, Houston looks to build on the success he had in 2023 by hopefully driving further into the postseason.
With many outlets showing the Texans love throughout the offseason, there's been no shortage of anticipation from fans. The Texans' hype train is up and running, as is Stroud's. And, if some executives and scouts have anything to say about the second-year pro, he's viewed as a potential top-2 passer in this league.
You read that correctly. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, some executives and scouts voted Stroud as the no. 3 quarterback in football, with one even ranking him no. 2 to only Patrick Mahomes.
"Stroud appeared on nearly 90% of the ballots, and a few of the voters believe he's top-three already," Fowler wrote.
Is the sky the limit for Texans QB C.J. Stroud?
C.J. Stroud led the NFL in three major categories in 2023, and he did it as a rookie, as Fowler pointed out in his piece.
Stroud was tops in passing yards per game (minimum nine starts) with 273.9 along with touchdown-to-interception ratio at 4.6. He also led the league in QBR versus zone coverage at an astonishing 73.9. And, that's incredibly encouraging since the league has gone a healthy majority zone defense the past four or five seasons, overall.
Stroud did what he did as a rookie, having learned an offense for the first time of course. Now, he has a year under his belt. And, oh by the way, he's got a Pro Bowl wide receiver in Stefon Diggs to go along with newcomer Joe Mixon in the back field, who both join guys like Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz as the main weapons within the offense.
Stroud deserves all of the praise he's receiving, along with the hype. Is his hypothetical ascension accelerating at a ridiculously-absurd pace? Absolutely. But, that's what the offseason is all about. Experts believe in what they saw out of Stroud in Year 1, and with the assumed progress in development along with the added weapons, the sky is, truly, the limit.