C.J. Stroud Must Evolve for Texans to Take Next Step

At least in theory, the Houston Texans' fundamental approach to winning football games powered by their outstanding defense holds water. Trouble is, C.J. Stroud didn't prove in the playoffs that he'd mastered the basic principles of not putting his defense in harm's way nearly enough.

Of course, turnovers have always provided the deadly kryptonite for the kind of old-school football head coach DeMeco Ryans wants to play, especially when it's win or time to book the trip to Cancun.

So in many ways, everyone now heads back to the drawing board during the offseason when it comes to Stroud's troublesome ball security issues, and it's best to not blame the weather either.

Interestingly enough, when Stroud broached the issue about not burning the clutch out back in January, it genuinely started to sound like the penny had finally dropped.

"Defense is making a bunch of plays," Stroud explained previously. "So, this year was a step for me where I didn't have to be Superman all the time and I'm still growing in that. I appreciate my teammates for taking a lot of pressure off of my plate but, also, they do know that I can make those plays. So, I'm appreciative of that, of them having that perspective."

Clearly, Stroud is savvy enough to realize that he simply can't afford to cough the ball up at the worst possible moments, but we must also remind ourselves that at 24 years old, there's a lot for him to still learn.

Furthermore, during the Texans' nine-game winning streak to end the season, Stroud appeared to have taken a leaf out of backup passer Davis Mills' book. By more diligently serving the organizational vision for success, Stroud was maturing in front of our very eyes, but it became a tantalizing mirage when the Texans traveled east to face the New England Patriots.

Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) after the game against the New England Patriots in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

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When push comes to shove, sorting out some of Stroud's bad habits will hinge greatly upon how good a hands-on coach offensive coordinator Nick Caley might ultimately prove to be moving forward.

After all, the last thing Caley wants to do is make an offense that is blessed with a plethora of pass-catching options a bit too frustratingly vanilla and predictable.

There's bound to be a growing notion that Stroud must be protected in the game plan from making the same kind of mistakes which doomed them in Foxboro. You could argue that if Nick Caserio can add more beef upfront, and adequately replace veteran running back Joe Mixon, they might have happened upon a large part of a pretty workable solution.

While that's true, Stroud needs to rebuild not only his fragile confidence, but additionally how he looks and thinks about playing the quarterback position. Unlike the vast majority of NFL quarterbacks, Stroud will also have to do that with a head coach in Ryans whose real strong suit comes on the defensive side of the ball.

That takes us back around to how vastly important Caley is going to be for Stroud moving forward: the duo will have to place unflinching faith in each other if things are going to work out.

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