It wasn't that long ago when Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud turned doubters into believers. After being drafted second overall in 2023, the Texans franchise signal-caller tossed for 4,108 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and a 100.8 passer rating en route to earning a Pro Bowl appearance and AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Unfortunately, Stroud couldn't build off that performance in Year 2. The former Ohio State QB's numbers dipped across the board, finishing the season with 3,727 yards, 20 TDs (to 12 interceptions), and an 87.0 passer rating across 17 appearances — two more than the previous year.
After Stroud's shockingly average performance, an NFL analyst is now providing insight into the Texans QB's struggles.
Texans News: Stroud's 2024 Struggles Stem From Bad Offensive Line, Yips
During his time at last week's NFL scouting combine, NBC Sports' Matthew Berry asked various industry insiders about the offseason rumors they've heard. When it came to Stroud's issues, a Texans source told Berry that "the offensive line was bad, and then he got the yips."
It's here! The 25 most interesting rumors I heard at the #NFLCombine ...really liked this one. Hope you'll read - https://t.co/go8KEW3CYB
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) March 4, 2025
Berry's source was right to put part of the blame on the Houston offensive line's horrendous performance last season. Stroud was the second-most sacked quarterback in the NFL (52) as the Texans played to a 65.3 pass protection grade on Pro Football Focus — 12th-worst in the league.
If that picture isn't grim enough, Stroud was also forced to drop back under pressure more than any other QB (274 times). Additionally, 23.0% of pressures he faced resulted in sacks, which was the fourth-worst percentage among quarterbacks who made at least 12 appearances.
The Texans' putrid O-line only tells half of the equation, though.
As Berry mentioned, Stroud also dealt with the yips as the season progressed. Here's a comparison between the 23-year-old gunslinger's first six 2024 regular-season games and the last 11:
Statistic | Weeks 1-6 | Weeks 7-18 |
|---|---|---|
Passing yards per game | 262.8 | 195.5 |
Completion percentage | 66.4% | 59.9% |
Touchdowns passes | 10 | 10 |
Interceptions | 4 | 8 |
Passer rating | 94.9 | 79.6 |
Sophomore slumps are a part of sports, but that doesn't change the fact that Stroud's second-half performance was alarming. Although part of his regression can be chalked up to Houston's poor protection, the last thing head coach DeMeco Ryans needs is for his star signal-caller's yips to continue into training camp.
Hopefully, Stroud spends the lead-up to training camp getting his head right. At the same time, the Texans must fortify their offensive line if they want to give their Pro Bowl passer enough confidence to reach his potential.
The Texans need a fully focused Stroud if they're going to prove any doubters wrong next season. For now, FanDuel Sportsbook is projecting the Texans to be a middle-of-the-pack team, giving them the 13th-best Super Bowl 60 odds (+3300) a week before free agency begins.
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