After winning AP offensive rookie of the year in 2023, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud didn’t have as much success in his second season.
While Houston still won the AFC South and won a postseason game, Stroud’s yards per game went down from 273.9 in his first season to 219.2. He also more than doubled his interceptions, going from five in 2023 to 12 in 2024.
That’s part of why Nick Caley was hired to replace Bobby Slowik as offensive coordinator a couple of months ago. On Friday, Caley praised Stroud for the way the quarterback has handled the offseason.
“Yeah, he’s locked in every step of the way. No concerns whatsoever,” Caley said in his press conference, via transcript from the team. “I know DeMeco \[Ryans\] has already hit on this. Everybody has a specific routine relative to their own routine, specific to whatever. Whether it’s football, whether it’s athletic training, et cetera, and he’s doing a great job and he’s out here and he’s working.”
With Stroud entering his third season, Caley noted that there may be more for the QB to handle as the offense’s leader.
“The more you can do, the better off you’re going to end up being,” Caley said. “He wants to have the ability to be able to have control. When you’re at that position, there is a lot of great value in being able to fix problems that come up or unscouted looks that come up.
“It doesn’t happen overnight. That’s for sure. It’s repetition. It’s comfort with the offense. He’s working hard. He’s done a good job. We’ll just keep growing that.”