The league-wide approval rating for fourth-year Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has never been lower. However, that hasn't stopped analysts from around the league from projecting a massive turnaround for the 24-year old Pro Bowler, even if it leads to much polarization of the Texans' fan base along the way.
That's exactly what NFL Senior Staff Editor Brooke Cersosimo did in an article published on NFL.com last week where the question was asked, "Which is the best QB-pass catcher combo in 2026?"
Regulars like the Cincinnati's Bengals' Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase made the list, along with the Los Angeles Rams' combination of Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua and the New England Patriots' newly formed tandem of Drake Maye and A.J. Brown. However, Cersosimo went out on a massive limb and proclaimed the duo of Stroud and Nico Collins as being her answer for "best" in the league heading into 2026.
C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins called "best combo" in 2026
"I know this isn't going to be a popular pick because Stroud has not matched the form he displayed as a rookie in the past two seasons," conceded Cersosimo regarding the problematic stretch of play from Stroud that proceeded last week's prognosis. She then explained her selection,
"But I like what the Texans did with the offense this offseason to aid their franchise quarterback. They overhauled the offensive line (again) and acquired David Montgomery to improve the rushing attack. Stroud is in better position to thrive in Year 4 and Collins should greatly benefit. What's wild is that even with Stroud's roller-coaster efforts, Collins has logged three straight 1,000-yard seasons. With more protection in 2026, Stroud and Collins should land at the top of the NFL ranks."
Cersosimo's perspective is less about focusing on just the strength's and potential of the aforementioned duo, and more about the work that general manager Nick Caserio and the Texans' front office has done to aggressively reshape the team's offensive infrastructure heading into year four of this new era of Houston football.
We have to remember, Stroud and Collins are both Pro Bowlers who together made their bones for a team that, prior to the solidification of their union, had gone 11-38-1 in the two seasons (2021-2022) leading up to the arrival of Stroud and head coach DeMeco Ryans.
In their first year together, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in Stroud put up a career-high of 4,108 yards (eighth-best), with 1,297 of those yards being credited to Collins (also eighth-best). That was with a rookie play caller in Bobby Slowik, and backfield of Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary (neither still being on the team now) and a receiving corps. that, no disrespect intended, featured more rookies in Tank Dell (season ending leg injury) and Xavier Hutchinson, Noah Brown and Robert Woods.
Fast forward to the 2026 offseason, and Houston has invested copious amounts of resources in transforming the offensive line (at least five new players), rehabbing the rushing attack and having multiple pass catching threats return from major injuries over the last two seasons (Dell, tight end Brevin Jordan, etc.). That, along with another year within the offensive scheme of coordinator Nick Caley and a new quarterback coaching voice in Jerry Schuplinski.
An improved offensive infrastructure should benefit C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins
To Cersosimo's point, with the added intimidation factor of the multiple offensive improvements that the Texans intend to weaponize in 2026, don't be surprised in Collins manages to have his most productive season as a pro. With more eyes on his teammates, Collins should presumably receive more open looks than ever before, which can easily lead to a career-high of at least 1,400 or more yards for the former Michigan Wolverine, and another 4,000-yard campaign for Stroud.
It's not the most obvious pick, or even the most welcomed pick (depending on who you ask in Houston), but it is one that illustrates a deeper understanding of truly how excellent the pairing has been, and could be, in spite of overtly imperfect circumstances.
In eager anticipation of Cersosimo's analysis coming to fruition, I quote the words of the ever-polarizing Skip Bayless, "I'm taking this right to my bank."
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