Leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft, it felt like eventual No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young was the talk of the town. C.J. Stroud had a dominant Peach Bowl performance with 348 yards and four touchdowns, but there was nothing he could do to convince the Carolina Panthers that he was more deserving of being picked first.
Then, their NFL careers got underway, and it quickly became evident that Stroud was more equipped for immediate success than Young was. He helped lead Stroud to the divisional round playoffs and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl along the way. Meanwhile, Young led his team to a 2-14 record while having the second-lowest completion rate in football.
During that first season, it appeared like the Texans had discovered the next superstar QB. If he could take a team that finished dead last in their division and bring them to the playoffs the following year, what else was Stroud capable of? We didn’t know, but the sky felt like the limit.
Unfortunately, Stroud’s arrow hasn’t continued to point up in the past two years. The Texans have still gotten to the playoffs each time, but have fizzled out in the divisional round just the same.
Though, this time around, Stroud’s performance was a big reason why the Texans weren’t able to advance. Teams don’t win many games with their quarterback completing just 42.6% of his passes while throwing four interceptions as Stroud did.
During the playoff loss, many loudly wondered whether coach DeMeco Ryans should have benched Stroud for his backup QB, Davis Mills. That never happened, but Stroud’s performance hasn’t prevented the NFL rumor mill from spitting out some wild ideas.
The latest example comes from NFL draft expert Todd McShay, who suggests that Stroud will be a popular trade target this offseason.
“I’m told there are some big-name QBs that are going to be targeted. CJ Stroud is one of them. Does he need a change of scenery? Be prepared for that. Stroud hasn’t been the guy the last two years in Houston that he was in his rookie year. Some [teams] are looking at that and saying, ‘can we get that rookie year out of Stroud here?’”
After the season ended, the Texans addressed Stroud’s future with the team, and they weren’t exactly strongly committed to the young QB. Yet, that doesn’t mean they’re ready to blow up their roster after three consecutive playoff appearances either. Still, some, like McShay, at least believe that a trade is possible, but it takes two to tango.
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