The Houston Texans selected C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but they’re not quite ready to hand him the keys to their franchise just yet. But that doesn’t mean the former Ohio State star quarterback won’t still be under center when Week 1 kicks off against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 10.
For now, Stroud is battling Davis Mills, the team’s starting QB for the past two seasons. Head coach DeMeco Ryans will have to make a final decision eventually, and maybe he already has, but an official announcement doesn’t appear imminent based on his latest comments following Saturday’s matchup with Miami.
“We’ll have a starter in Baltimore. It’s the same as I said previously. You guys will see the starter when we get to Baltimore.”
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans on C.J. Stroud
It seems unlikely that the Texans would wait until Week 1 of the regular season to make an announcement. Yet, teams do enjoy playing games with their opponents by withholding as much information as possible to try and gain any potential advantage they can.
Mills has started 26 games over the past two seasons, but there’s a reason the Texans added Stroud the first chance they got on draft day back in April. Yet, that may not mean Houston feels the 21-year-old gives the team the best chance to win right away. Or, they could just be blowing smoke, knowing Stroud would be the starter from the moment he was drafted. We’ll find out soon enough.
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