C.J. Stroud is not the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans. At least, not yet to this point in the summer.
The Texans picked Stroud No. 2 overall in the 2023 NFL draft to fix their problems at quarterback. Through two months of Houston’s offseason workouts, ambiguity still remains as to who starts Sept. 10 at the Baltimore Ravens.
Mills and Stroud have alternated work with the first team offense as part of rookie coach DeMeco Ryans’ emphasis on competition throughout the entire roster.
The former 2021 third-rounder from Stanford — literally the first pick of the Nick Caserio era — does not represent a veteran stopgap such as Andy Dalton with the Carolina Panthers. Mills, 24, is as young and eager as Stroud, 21.
“The best thing I’ve seen about C.J. with his improvement and growth is he doesn’t make the same mistake twice,” said Texans HC DeMeco Ryan’s about his rookie quarterback at the conclusion of day one of mandatory minicamp. #Texans #Sarge @TheTexansWire pic.twitter.com/Eb1BaFGXp3
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) June 14, 2023
On the first day of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Stroud had the opportunity to run with the first team offense for most of practice. It was up and down performance by most reports, but he was able to finish strong and caught everyone’s attention with a long touchdown pass to Collins.
Ryans sounded pleased when speaking to the media about the progress of their rookie quarterback and just wants Stroud to stay confident.
“For me with the quarterback, it’s all about confidence, right? We want him to rip it,” Ryans said. “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.”
For a defensive-minded coach, Ryans had a more full throttle mentality about the team’s quarterback play.
“I never want our quarterback playing afraid to make a mistake,” Ryans explained. “I want everybody playing to their maximum potential and attacking everything that we do.”
Stroud’s arm strength, precision ball placement, and confidence to trust his receivers and himself led to his prolific numbers while at Ohio State. The Texans will similarly need all of those same attributes if he’s to excel in his new NFL environment.
Numerous advantages to giving C.J. Stroud starter reps as early as possible. Identifying where he excels sooner rather than later helps Slowik design the overall offense towards what he does well.
Play to Stroud's strengths early, let confidence & time help the rest #WeAreTexans
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) June 13, 2023
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is installing a version of the West Coast-Kyle Shanahan offense that helped the 49ers and rookie quarterback Brock Purdy go to the NFC Championship last season. It involves quick, rhythm passing and emphasizes creating opportunities for multiple playmakers rather than force feeding any one player or concept.
It’s much more complex that the Ryan Day offensive system that Stroud was accustomed to with the Buckeyes and will certainly take time to adjust. Whether that’s timing with his new wideouts, getting comfortable under center, or having complete confidence with the progression of each play.
Stroud’s draft position and impressive talent ultimately suggest that he’ll win the starting quarterback job by Week 1 in Houston. His ability to “rip it” as Ryans is hoping and develop confidence within the system will ultimately determine just when that happens.
