(SportsRadio 610) - The NFL education of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud continues July 26 when the Texans begin their first training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center under coach DeMeco Ryans.
No matter how much Ryans, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and quarterback coach Jerrod Johnson try to deflect pressure away from Stroud by declaring the starting job has yet to be settled, the second overall pick in the draft is destined to be the starter by the time the Texans open the season at Baltimore.
Davis Mills knows Stroud is going to be the starter. So does Case Keenum. The only question is who'll be designated as the emergency quarterback on game days – Mills or Keenum?
"We'll see where the process goes in training camp," Ryans said after the offseason program. "As the competition continues to grow, we'll see who separates himself. That decision will take care of itself."
As expected, Stroud impressed his coaches and teammates in the offseason program. They knew he could throw before he became a Texan. All they had to do was to watch him set records at Ohio State the last two seasons before excelling at the combine and at the Buckeyes' pro day.
Once Stroud stepped on the practice field, he showed the ability that convinced general manager Nick Caserio, Ryans and the McNair family he was worthy of being the second highest-drafted quarterback in franchise history to David Carr in 2002.
What impressed the Texans the most during the offseason program wasn't Stroud's passing ability. It was his work ethic and his curiosity about defense, specifically coverages. Everyone liked the way he asked questions about the offense as well as the defense.
Stroud has worked hard to learn Slowick's new system. Johnson, who'll spend more time with the rookie quarterback than anyone on the staff, will work closely with Stroud as his coach and, basically, his therapist as he navigates the pitfalls that affect rookies at his position.
When Stroud gets to training camp, the coaches will want to see him continue to work on some mechanics, learn to adjust on offense and be ready to diagnose what the defense is showing and make the correct adjustments based on what he's seeing. Accuracy, which is one of Stroud's strengths, and decision-making, which he'll have to prove he can handle consistently, are essential at his position.
"With C.J. and all of our players, I want to see continued improvement," Ryans said. "Are you improving, and are you accountable to your teammates? Can we all count on you to make the proper decisions and make plays? Ultimately, help us win football games. For the guys on our team who can put us in the best position to win games – those are the guys who I want out there."
Ryans, Slowik and Johnson know Stroud will have growing pains. He'll make mistakes. He'll throw bad passes. He'll throw interceptions. He'll make incorrect decisions. The key is how much he learns from those mistakes and how he reacts to them.
"For a quarterback, you have to have a short memory," Ryans said. "You can't let one bad play become three bad plays, right? Put that behind you. You're going to make some bad plays, but as long as it doesn't matriculate into other bad plays, then I'm fine with that."
The coaches want Stroud to play with confidence. They want to provide him with a strong running game featuring Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary. They want receivers to stay healthy and give him dependable targets. Stroud needs to know his receivers will be in the right spots when he throws them the ball. They can't make the kind of mental mistakes that'll impact his performance.
"With the quarterback, it's all about confidence, right?" Ryans said. "We want him to rip it. If you see it, go through your progression. If you see it, make it happen. We understand every ball is not going to be perfect. You're not going to protect it all the time. I never want our quarterback playing afraid to make a mistake. I want everybody playing to their maximum potential and attacking everything we do."
Attack and aggressive are words Ryans and Slowik use often when describing what they want to do on offense. That's what the 49ers do, and both are products of Kyle Shanahan's system in San Francisco. It's an attitude and philosophy they're trying to implement at NRG Stadium, and Stroud is the trigger.
"He's a bright young man," said Singletary, who spent his first four seasons with Josh Allen at Buffalo. "It's a lot as a young quarterback coming in and learning a new offense – coming here with grown men. You're looked at as a leader out the gate. He's handling it well. He's a very humble guy and always comes in (ready) to work."
Like Singletary, wide receiver Noah Brown signed with the Texans as an unrestricted free agent. He spent five seasons with the Cowboys and played with quarterback Dak Prescott.
"C.J. has great arm talent," Brown said. "He's picked up the offense fast, taken ownership of his reps. I think that can only lead to positive things."
Another free agent signing with the Texans, linebacker Denzel Perryman, also has been impressed with what he's seen of Stroud. He was teammates with Justin Herbert with the Chargers and Derek Carr with the Raiders.
"He's a competitor," Perryman said about Stroud. "He may talk a little trash here and there, but he doesn't do that in the locker room. On the field, he carries himself like a pro, and he has guys pushing behind him."
In other words, Stroud's teammates have his back. They like what they've seen so far, and, like the coaches, they have high expectations for him. The only question about Stroud going into training camp is how long it'll take for the rookie head coach to name the rookie quarterback as his starter.
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Thursday on Texans Radio. He writes two columns a week and does two Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.
