Texans Daily

Texans Star Delivers Elite Comparisons for CJ Stroud

This Houston Texans star feels that quarterback C.J. Stroud belongs in some pretty elite company.
Matthew Schmidt|
Dec 1, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) celebrates with quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) after scoring a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) celebrates with quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) after scoring a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Houston Texans

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has not exactly had a great second year in the NFL. As a matter of fact, the general consensus is that he has experienced the dreaded sophomore slump.

Still, running back Joe Mixon sees incredible talent in Stroud and feels that his ability to make plays on the fly reminds him of several other elite signal-callers in the NFL.

"To go in his toolbox and really be on top of that and extend plays, I mean like last week, he was about to get sacked and then, boom, he threw it down and I'm like, 'Ohh,'" Mixon told Chancellor Johnson of KPRC 2.

Stroud threw for 3,727 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 63.2 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 87 during the regular season, leading the Texans to their second straight AFC South title.

"That's what makes him him," added Mixon. "Ain't many people got that in their bag. I only see [Patrick] Mahomes, Joey B (Joe Burrow) and Josh [Allen]. It's very few quarterbacks in this league that's going to make that play."

That is some pretty impressive company for Stroud.

Houston selected the Ohio State product with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. He went on to enjoy a historic rookie campaign, totaling 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five picks while completing 63.9 percent of his throws and registering a 100.8 passer rating.

Stroud certainly took a step back statistically this year, but the Texans in general had issues, such as poor offensive line play and limited weapons thanks to a rash of injuries.

We'll see how Stroud performs against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs this Saturday.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.