Not often do you see a quarterback throw for 16 yards and earn postgame praise from his head coach, but that’s exactly what happened to C.J. Stroud on Sunday night at New Orleans.
In the Texans’ 17-13 victory over the Saints that gave them a 2-1 record in DeMeco Ryans’ first preseason as coach, Stroud played two series, finishing 2-of-4 for 16 yards and a touchdown before heading to the bench. Afterward, Ryans made official what most have known since the second week of training camp – Stroud is their starting quarterback.
“CJ will be our week one starter in Baltimore,” Ryans said. “We’re not where we need to be as a team (but) he continues to get better. I thought he did a good job.”
That Ryans hadn’t anointed Stroud as the starter was the biggest non-story in camp and preseason. A team doesn’t use the second overall pick on a quarterback who’s going to play behind Davis Mills.
Ryans, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and quarterback coach Jerrod Johnson aren’t stupid. They’ve known all along Stroud would be the starter for the Ravens game on Sept. 10. The lack of an official commitment seemed to confuse a lot of people, but now they can rest comfortably knowing he’ll be lining up against the Ravens.
In his two series against the Saints, Stroud had some impressive moments. On the first possession, he threw a perfect deep pass down the left sideline that Nico Collins couldn’t control. It would have been a tremendous catch, and cornerback Alonte Taylor made a terrific play, but Collins could have caught the ball. What his teammates and coaches liked about the play was Stroud’s location.
“His ball placement was very nice again, but he can’t do it without his offensive line,” Ryans said. “The linemen deserve credit because he had time to make those throws.”
Playing against reserves because New Orleans coach Dennis Allen elected to rest his starters, Stroud threw two incompletions on the first series. The next time the Texans got the ball, they started at the Saints 43, thanks to an exceptional 27-yard punt return by rookie receiver Tank Dell.
With running back Dameon Pierce carrying four times for 27 yards, Stroud had to throw only two times. The first one was a quick hitter over the middle for a 13-yard completion to tight end Dalton Schultz for a first down. The second was a 3-yard touchdown pass – Stroud’s first of preseason – to Collins.
The touchdown came on a crossing route. Pierce did an outstanding job of picking up a pass rusher, and the line gave Stroud time to throw. Collins ran his crossing route with precision, and Stroud hit him perfectly for a 7-0 lead. Stroud finished with a 100.0 rating.
“It was great to connect with Nic (touchdown),” Stroud said. “We work hard getting it down after practice, and for it to pay off and us get a touchdown, it was definitely cool to see the hard work pay off.”
In three preseason starts, Stroud was 11-of-20 (55 percent) for 89 yards and one touchdown. He threw one interception and was sacked once. His rating was 63.1. Once Stroud was pulled, Mills and E.J. Perry played the rest of the game.
“I’m getting used to Bobby calling the plays,” Stroud said about Slowik, who’s calling plays for the first time. “My eyes get better every week. Every day in practice, I push myself to make the hard throws, the hard protection calls.
“Practice is hard. It feels like the game slows down for me. From OTAs to now, everything has slowed down. My footwork has gotten better. Where I start and finish my eyes, everything they preach I’ve gotten accustomed to it and get better and better at it.”
Ryans finally told Stroud last week he was the starter even though he’d been working with the starters since the first week of training camp.
“It’s definitely a blessing, something I worked for and earned,” Stroud said. “Nothing changes. I’m still going to work the way I’ve been working, even more now. I’m blessed enough to be a starter so young (21) in this league, which isn’t the easiest thing to do. I know my coaches have trust in me, and I’m going out there and trying to do my best.”
The running game functioned better against the Saints. The Texans ran for 131 yards and averaged 4.2 a carry. Pierce finished with five carries and 30 yards. Mike Boone was the leader with seven carries for 51 yards (7.3 average) and a touchdown. He had the longest run of 21 yards. Devin Singletary ran for 22 yards on six carries.
The coaches wanted Stroud to play with the starting offensive line. George Fant continues to start at right tackle while Tytus Howard recovers from a broken hand. The most interesting thing about the line was left guard Kenyon Green being relegated to the second team and replaced by Michael Deiter.
“They did a good job of protecting him,” Ryans said. “It all starts up front. I’m happy with what those guys did. Whatever we need to do to get better up front we’ll do it and invest whatever we need to invest to make it work.”
The linemen, including the backups, helped the offense perform more efficiently.
“Those guys were battling for me,” Stroud said about the blocking. “It feels good to have time to throw and try to pick apart defenses. I appreciate them (starters) playing in preseason because they don’t (always) have to. I think they want to be out there with me and see how I’m calling plays and how I’m distributing the ball. I think we’ve got a good rhythm, and we’re going to try and keep that rolling in week one.”
The blocking certainly helped the improved rushing performance.
“It’s hard to do anything without running the ball,” Stroud said. “Every time DP (Pierce) touches the ball, he wants to score. He was running hard, and that’s what you can expect from him. On top of that, he’s great in pass protection. He can also catch the ball well. I’m excited to get to work with him. We’re going to do great things together.”
Stroud is ready for the next step of beginning his first regular season against the Ravens, a playoff contender expected to compete for the Super Bowl.
“I’ve got to practice and get ready for Baltimore,” he said. “I’m going to work hard and try to better myself so I can do the best I can when it’s time to line up against those guys. I’m excited to do it. I think I’ll be ready.”
Stroud is comfortable coming out of his first offseason program, training camp and preseason.
“Just being myself is all I need,” he said. “I don’t need to be anybody else. I’m comfortable in my skin. I need to make the offense mine, how I think about plays and try to be on the same page with Bobby. That’s something I’ve gotten used to.
“I came in and tried to be myself. I think a lot of guys gravitated toward me. I got to hang out with a lot of them off the field and in the locker room. We’ve done some things for group bonding. That’s what makes football special. You’ve got guys from so many different walks of life coming together for this amazing sport and to see all of us in the locker room sharing the same name, that’s special.”
The roster will be reduced to 53 on Tuesday, then 12 players can be signed to the practice squad once they clear waivers. Fans are going to get a chance to see how special Stroud and his team can be in their first season under Ryans.
(John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on Sports Radio 610 and before every practice during training camp on Texans Radio. He also writes three columns a week and does two Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.)
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