Houston — Around this time last year, C.J. Stroud had just finished the draft as the Houston Texans’ second choice.
It can be a stressful procedure, and the former Ohio State quarterback is relieved he won’t have to go through it in Year 2.
“I was meeting every team,” said Stroud, “going through offense after offense, meeting with a new coordinator, meeting with a new head coach next week, then finally got here and everything just ramped up.”
Stroud was not given a starting role either. He needed to earn it. He went through camps and preseason before getting the call soon before the season began.
He went on to lead the Texans to the AFC South championship and the divisional round of the playoffs. Following a record-breaking season in which he passed for 4,108 yards and led the league in touchdown to interception ratio (23:5), he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and invited to the Pro Bowl.
Stroud wants to improve, and he hopes that a whole offseason without the distraction of the draft would help him do so.
“I’m coming to the same offense, and I get to slow down and really get better at what we’re trying to get done this next year,” Stroud stated. “So I’m very excited for that.”
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans is also entering his second season, and he is excited to see how far his franchise quarterback can advance.
“With C.J., we’re very proud of his success in his first year,” Ryans stated. “He came in and probably surprised a lot of people with his performance, and he performed at a really high level. Can he now start up where he left off at the end of the year? He had a good year, but as a player, you’re always the harshest critic.
“Can he continue to master the same thing I’ve discussed? Can he grasp those skills and fundamentals so he can continue to lead our squad in the same way he has?”
Without having to go through the difficult selection process and uncertainty about his future, he was able to spend the offseason training and bonding with teammates rather than justifying why teams should pick him.
“I’m the leader of the whole offense, and really the team, so even the things that DeMeco has been saying just to build that foundation and fundamentals and doing the right things,” Stroud stated.
One of his training sessions was used to bond with four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs immediately after Houston acquired him last month. Tank Dell, John Metchie III, Diggs, and others participated in the “great” throwing session in Los Angeles, according to Stroud.
The Diggs signing was just one of the Texans’ major moves this offseason, as they spent $178.5 million in guaranteed money, according to Roster Management System.
Some of their spending have gone toward retaining veterans, like as tight end Dalton Schultz, but the running game may benefit when they traded for former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon and extended his deal for three years and $27 million.
Despite finishing eighth in passing with 245.5 yards per game, the Texans’ run game was one of 11 that averaged less than 100 yards per game (96.9).
The most significant acquisition came on the other side of the ball, when they signed defensive end Danielle Hunter to a two-year, $49 million contract. They also signed former Tennessee Titans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who had a career high 163 tackles, to a three-year, $34 million contract.
The organization thinks that infusing great veterans into a young core will pay off. The Texans have a young nucleus, with a talented rookie class entering Year 2 and players on rookie contracts who have found ways to contribute as well.
“Really all of the rookies coming into Year 2, everything is starting to slow down, and the wheels aren’t turning so much up in your head,” Stroud stated. “You’re starting to play ball.”
The Texans will begin OTAs on May 20. The structured workouts will remain until June 6, when the club will commence an obligatory minicamp from June 11-13.
“Guys have a true offseason to dedicate and focus on themselves and them getting better,” Ryans stated. “They don’t have to worry about combine or draft prep, they can truly work on the things that we’ve asked them to do.”
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