CJ Stroud has looked like a polished quarterback in his first 4 weeks of the NFL. Stroud was drafted 2nd overall to the Houston Texans. Watching CJ play, he has shown the ability to scan down the field and find the open man at a high level. Also, when he gets sacked he does not panic, he is calm and collected in the pocket which is typically only found in NFL veteran quarterbacks. Stroud’s play has contributed 2 wins to the rebuilding Houston Texans team. Stroud has passed 151 attempts with no interceptions which is the record for a rookie, the previous record holder was 101 attempts.
CJ has thrown for 1,212 yards which is fourth place in the NFL currently. Many people doubted CJ due to his poor performance against the New England Patriots in the preseason – where he passed 2-4 for 13 yards and an interception. However these past 4 weeks, he put everyone on notice. Stroud’s two most recent games being blowout victories – defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 37-17 on the road, and defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6.
With the way he is playing he is giving Texan fans a positive look for the future. He is making a case for the Rookie of the Year award. He currently has the best odds to win the award at +160. With the pieces around helping him succeed, he can definitely win many more games and the ROTY. New head coach DeMarco Ryans gives praise to Stroud by saying, “C.J. is a very good processor — a smart, smart quarterback. He’s not going to make the same mistake twice,” Ryans said at a press conference.