CJ Stroud is on track for the best rookie quarterback performance in NFL history. Usually, rookie quarterbacks are limited by their lack of professional experience and/or their coaches’ lack of confidence in their understanding of the complexities of football at the NFL level. Through nine games, there appears to be no limit to Stroud’s abilities on the field, as he has led the team Houston Texans to a record above .500 for the first time since Week 1 of the 2021 season.
THE Cincinnati Bengals have been playing championship level football since their Week 7 Bye. They got off to a rough start Sunday, but scored 20 points in the second half to eventually tie the game at 27 with less than two minutes to play. For the second week in a row, Stroud led the Texans on a winning streak, and they are 5-4 through 10 weeks.
Stroud totaled 2,626 yards, 15 touchdowns, two interceptions and averaged 8.3 yards per attempt. He’s a lock for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and if the Texans play their way to an AFC South title, he’ll be considered for MVP. Stroud deserves the majority of the credit for entering the NFL ready to play in week one, but if his team hadn’t put a decent infrastructure around him, it’s unlikely he would have this much early success of the season.
The Texans have laid the foundation with a top-notch coaching staff. They hired the league’s most coveted head coaching candidate, DeMeco Ryans – who made the Pro Bowl twice for them as a player. Ryans came to the Texans from San Francisco 49ers, and brought with him Bobby Slowik who was their passing game coordinator. The Texans also hired Chris Strausser away from their division rival Indianapolis Colts to coach the offensive line.
A team with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft needed to significantly improve their entire roster. There’s no better way to ruin a rookie quarterback than not providing him with talented teammates. They added Jimmie Ward and Sheldon Rankins – who was huge for the Texans in his return from injury against the Bengals – to bolster the defense. They also traded up to draft arguably the best passer in the 2023 draft, Will Anderson IV.
On offense, they signed Dalton Schultz. As the Dallas Cowboys A tight end, he has been targeted at least 89 times over the past three seasons. The Texans appear to have found a third-round gem in rookie Tank Dell. He has totaled 12 receptions for 170 yards and three touchdowns over the past two weeks. Devin Singeltary was also brought in to provide depth at running back. On Sunday, he reached the 100-yard mark for the first time this season with starter Dameon Pierce out due to injury.
It wasn’t just new acquisitions that buoyed Stroud in his rookie season. The Texans re-signed left tackle Laremy Tunsil in September to a contract that made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL. He made his presence felt all day in the Texans’ Week 10 win.
The Texans are far from a perfect team, but the franchise has made sure Stroud isn’t starting from scratch. They did a good job turning a team that was 3-13-1 into something resembling competence.
Many rookie quarterbacks – including the first in Texas franchise history – have been ruined by being forced to try to avoid getting burned in a melting pocket. With an average offensive and defensive line, several promising players and a well-respected coaching staff, Stroud’s team has done a remarkable job of surrounding him with talent.
The talent around him helped his talent make MVP shine.