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C.J. Stroud doubters are coming in hot this offseason.
The Houston Texans quarterback has taken more than his fair share of criticism since the Texans' postseason loss to the New England Patriots, but it appears that the criticism is only growing more intense as the season nears.
Derek Antoine of The Big Lead went off on Stroud and the Texans organization for both parties' failures over the last three years. Antoine wrote the following on the purported dangers of Stroud leading the team.
"The Houston Texans have spent the past few NFL seasons lying to us. Lying to their fans. And they’re right back at it as camp 2026 looms in the not-so-distant future. They continue to put a lot of faith back into C.J. Stroud. And they shouldn’t. Stroud still has the talent that made Houston believe it had found a franchise quarterback. His rookie season created a standard that was not fake. He can process, throw with touch, and control a game when he is comfortable. But the last two seasons have made the conversation more complicated than the Texans probably want to admit.
At some point, Houston has to stop talking about what Stroud was and deal honestly with what he has been. The production has dipped. The pocket presence has not looked the same. The offensive line problems were real, and the Texans have spent this offseason trying to fix them. That’s not insignificant. No quarterback is at his best when he can’t trust the protection in front of him."
Admittedly, Antoine's take seems to be more catastrophic than is actually warranted.
Stroud has indeed struggled, particularly in his 2025 postseason campaign. Stroud completed less than 50% of his passing attempts in the AFC Divisional Round loss to the Patriots. Then again, he is one of the few quarterbacks that have led their team to the postseason in two of the last three seasons.
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans laughs with quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) before the game against the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Stroud has completed more than 63.0% of his passes in all three seasons. He went for more than 3,000 passing yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 14 games as the Texans starter.
Stroud is a franchise quarterback. Unfortunately, he presently tiers in the group of quarterbacks good enough to make the playoffs with good conditions like Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert. He has more to prove to join young quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Drake Maye and Brock Purdy as quarterbacks that can lead a team to a Super Bowl appearance.
The Texans quarterback will look to silence doubters with a breakout campaign in 2026.
Continue reading...
The Houston Texans quarterback has taken more than his fair share of criticism since the Texans' postseason loss to the New England Patriots, but it appears that the criticism is only growing more intense as the season nears.
Derek Antoine of The Big Lead went off on Stroud and the Texans organization for both parties' failures over the last three years. Antoine wrote the following on the purported dangers of Stroud leading the team.
"The Houston Texans have spent the past few NFL seasons lying to us. Lying to their fans. And they’re right back at it as camp 2026 looms in the not-so-distant future. They continue to put a lot of faith back into C.J. Stroud. And they shouldn’t. Stroud still has the talent that made Houston believe it had found a franchise quarterback. His rookie season created a standard that was not fake. He can process, throw with touch, and control a game when he is comfortable. But the last two seasons have made the conversation more complicated than the Texans probably want to admit.
At some point, Houston has to stop talking about what Stroud was and deal honestly with what he has been. The production has dipped. The pocket presence has not looked the same. The offensive line problems were real, and the Texans have spent this offseason trying to fix them. That’s not insignificant. No quarterback is at his best when he can’t trust the protection in front of him."
Admittedly, Antoine's take seems to be more catastrophic than is actually warranted.
Stroud has indeed struggled, particularly in his 2025 postseason campaign. Stroud completed less than 50% of his passing attempts in the AFC Divisional Round loss to the Patriots. Then again, he is one of the few quarterbacks that have led their team to the postseason in two of the last three seasons.
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Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans laughs with quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) before the game against the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Stroud has completed more than 63.0% of his passes in all three seasons. He went for more than 3,000 passing yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 14 games as the Texans starter.
Stroud is a franchise quarterback. Unfortunately, he presently tiers in the group of quarterbacks good enough to make the playoffs with good conditions like Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert. He has more to prove to join young quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Drake Maye and Brock Purdy as quarterbacks that can lead a team to a Super Bowl appearance.
The Texans quarterback will look to silence doubters with a breakout campaign in 2026.
Continue reading...
