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Analyst details brutal NFL reality for C.J. Stroud in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Do we remember C.J. Stroud's rookie season for the Houston Texans, where he led the team to a 9-6 record, threw 23 TDs, and just five interceptions en route to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and getting a Pro Bowl nod?
Yeah, me neither.
It's been that long since Stroud was seen in that sort of light, and now, as 2026 begins, the Texans quarterback is under intense pressure to prove that the player we saw in 2023 is still in there somewhere.
Oh, and many think that the Texans could move on from him if he has another poor season, and that is why NFL.com's Nick Shook has Stroud as one player who is facing a make-or-break season.
"This is now Stroud's reality. Instead of being considered one of the young faces of the NFL's future under center, the 24-year-old's long-term plans are largely on hold -- for now,” Shook wrote.
“It's up to Stroud to lift the Texans -- and himself -- out of purgatory.”
MORE:Why Bills' Keon Coleman has everything riding on 2026 season
Can Stroud rediscover his form?
Absolutely, he can, but many are skeptical of it happening.
The Texans have a stud defense behind Stroud, so he won't have to score 30 points every week, and he has weapons like Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Dalton Schultz, Woody Marks, and David Montgomery.
So, he has a lot to work with; the question is, can he bring it all together when he needs to?
The playoff loss is still burned into the minds of fans, so starting the season off well is paramount for Stroud, because if the feelings on him are lukewarm now, I can only imagine what it will be if he has another poor season.
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