For the first time in a while, there is legitimate hope and optimism surrounding the Houston Texans. New head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio got on the same page about the direction they wanted to take the franchise. After being covered by a black cloud for years, things are beginning to clear up in Houston.
A big reason for that is the pillars that they landed in the 2023 NFL Draft. With the No. 2 overall pick, they selected Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. In a stunning move, they traded back into the first round, landing the No. 3 overall pick from the Arizona Cardinals and selecting Alabama star pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.
So far so good in regard to both players. Anderson has been solid, picking up one sack with one tackle for loss, five quarterback hits and three total pressures in three games. However, his performance has been overshadowed by the record-setting start Stroud has gotten off to.
The Texans’ franchise quarterback is quite literally off to one of the best starts in league history for a player at his position. On Sunday, he threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, leading the team to an upset victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road.
That makes Stroud the first player to have at least 900 yards passing, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in his first three career starts in NFL history, per ProFootballTalk. His 906 passing yards are third-most through three starts behind only Justin Herbert and Cam Newton, who had 931 and 1,012 respectively.
“I have great guys around me,” Stroud said, via DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. “Nothing I can do without those guys up front battling, the receiver running the right route at the right depth, [offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik] calling the right plays at the right time.”
A lot was made of the Texans winning a ‘meaningless game’ in Week 18 over the Indianapolis Colts last season. Houston was in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall pick virtually all season until two victories in the last three weeks of the season led to them flipping with the Chicago Bears.
Ultimately, it doesn’t look to have impacted them negatively. If anything, their persistence has paid off with good karma as Stroud and Anderson both look like the real deal in the early going.
With foundational pieces on both sides of the ball, Ryans now has someone to build his units around. After some dark years for the Texans, there is now a light at the end of the tunnel.
