Texans HC Suggests C.J. Stroud Should Be Excited about New Weapons

The Texans used six of their nine draft picks on the offensive side of the ball, helping bring in talent around C.J. Stroud.

Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) gets ready before the snap during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs in a 2025 AFC divisional round game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Houston Texans are going to have sky-high expectations this season, and with C.J. Stroud at the helm of the offense, they should be one of the most exciting teams in football. They may even have a few must-watch games as well.

That said, their head coach is DeMeco Ryans, who played with the Texans for six seasons and led the league with 126 solo tackles as a rookie. He's been an incredible head coach through his first two seasons, having started off as a defensive quality control coach in 2017 with the San Francisco 49ers.

Ryans is making it a point to enhance the team's offense this offseason, and revamping the offensive line is at the forefront of that. He's also been able to bring in a few key receivers. Houston used six of its nine picks in the 2025 NFL Draft on offensive talent and added two receivers in the first three rounds.

According to ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime, Ryans says that Stroud should "be excited about the targets that he has to throw to." With Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in Houston, Stroud is going to have weapons, especially Higgins, who the Texans took out of Iowa State with their first pick at No. 34.

Stroud went for 4,108 passing yards and 23 touchdowns as a rookie, having 5 interceptions as well. In his second seasons, while the Texans did have immense team success, he wasn't quite the same, ending with 3,727 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Texans, while they have Nico Collins and other receiving weapons, were banged up for much of the season.

Stroud won't be shy of options in 2025, and that's clearly something Ryans wanted to make a prior this offseason. With a better receiving corps and offensive line, Stroud may be in store for a career-best 2025 campaign.