The Rams take on the Houston Texans in their season opener on Sunday, meaning that C.J. Stroud is the first opposing quarterback of the year that L.A.’s fans get to debate “Is this going to be a problem or not?”
That’s a very complicated question to answer about Stroud given the yo-yo start to his NFL career with the Texans.
Do you think that Stroud will be an elite quarterback on the same level of Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes (and others) in the AFC or was his rookie season a mirage? Tell us what you think in the comments section below!
As the second overall pick in the 2023 draft, Stroud entered the league with even higher expectations than nearly every other quarterback in the AFC when they were drafted, respectively, including 32nd overall pick Lamar Jackson. Stroud threw over 40 touchdowns and six interceptions per season at Ohio State from 2021-2022, saving his best for last in the Buckeyes’ CFB semifinal loss to Georgia.
Stroud posted 348 yards and 4 touchdowns against the top defense in the nation, but more importantly silenced critics who said he’s too reliant on in-structure passing and can’t improvise positive plays on the move.
That one game against Georgia sealed Stroud’s fate as a top-2 pick because without it he really might have slid. Maybe not outside of the top-10, but Stroud answered his biggest question that night and the Texans ran to the podium to take him over Anthony Richardson.
Cut to his rookie season, Stroud wins Offensive Rookie of the Year after posting 23 touchdowns and 5 INTs for a Texans team that had a bottom-3 offense the season before his arrival. Houston went to the playoffs and Stroud went to the Pro Bowl.
But 12 months after entering the 2024 season with sky-high expectations, Stroud’s back to square one when it comes to people questioning his ceiling as a passer:
Every single stat got worse from his rookie season — comp%, TD, INT, Y/A, passing rating, QBR, sacks, you name it.
The Texans responded by firing offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik (a popular HC candidate a year earlier) and replaced him with former Rams assistant Nick Caley. Reacting to a slew of receiver injuries, Houston drafted college teammates Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel on day 2 and traded for Christian Kirk. In addition to rookie left tackle Aireontae Ersery, running back Nick Chubb, and three new starting offensive linemen signed in free agency (Laken Tomlinson, Jake Andrews, Ed Ingram), the Texans believe that Stroud now has the supporting cast he needed to succeed last year that he didn’t have.
Is that really going to work? Was Stroud really not part of the problem? Or are the Texans merely overreacting (new OC, 7 new starters) to a bad season (they still went 10-7) because C.J. Stroud simply turned out to be the exact QB prospect that many people felt he was before the Georgia game?
The AFC has no shortage of good quarterbacks, including also Justin Herbert, Drake Maye, Bo Nix, Geno Smith, Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, Aaron Rodgers, plus top pick Cam Ward in addition to the ones I mentioned earlier. Where will C.J. Stroud rank in that group in 3 years? Is he good enough to challenge the best of the best or is he doomed to a career like TLaw where maybe we’re always questioning if he’s the problem or it’s somebody else’s fault.
Jump in the comments to share your opinions on CJ Stroud!
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