How Texans Plan to Manage C.J. Stroud in Raiders Preseason Game

The Houston Texans, heading into their second of three preseason games against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, are expected to rest a majority of their starters.

That choice to rest most players was made by the team following the Texans' joint practice against the Raiders earlier in the week. And the decision turned out to be a bit of an adjustment from their prior plans to play everyone on Thursday who was healthy.

Instead, the two sides were able to get some live, padded reps in with one another, and it was enough for Houston to feel comfortable enough to not play some top names around the roster.

However, it seems like in the hours leading up to kickoff, Houston might now have a plan in place to get their quarterback C.J. Stroud––along with a few other players on the offensive end––to play in Thursday's game against the Raiders for a brief period.

What C.J. Stroud's Night vs. Raiders Could Looks Like

According to a report from KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, Stroud is expected to play for around 20 to 25 snaps for the Texans in their preseason game against the Raiders.

Houston will also have their entire first-team offensive line, including first-round rookie Keylan Rutledge, and their second-year running back, Woody Marks, expected to get a bit of run themselves, likely alongside their QB1 early in the game.

#Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud set to play a few series tonight vs. #Raiders along with first-team offensive line, including guard-center Keylan Rutledge and running back Woody Marks, per league source. Twenty to 25 plays, roughly. Texans defensive starters expected to be…
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 20, 2026

While the Texans' defensive starters are still expected to sit out, along with other key veterans of their offense such as Nico Collins, David Montgomery, and Dalton Schultz, having Stroud in the mix and playing his first live NFL game since his playoff exit in January is certainly noteworthy news.

The Texans had a bit of a similar approach to Stroud's availability in the preseason this time last year. Stroud wouldn't be playing for the first of their three-game slate in August, but would eventually suit up for game two of the preseason against the Carolina Panthers.

In that game against Carolina, he threw a total of eight passes in the first quarter, completed six of them, then handed the reins over to Davis Mills to be one of four passers to attempt a throw throughout.

This time, the Texans appear to want a little more of an in-depth look at their top quarterback on the depth chart in these preliminary showings that he'll be involved in–– or at least for this coming outing against the Raiders.

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) is introduced before playing against the Las Vegas Raiders at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Seeing that increased snap count from game one to game two can also be said for the Texans' starting offensive line, who also appear slated for more work than they just saw last week.

Houston's first-team unit in the trenches played just one drive during their previous game against the Chargers. Now, they appear to be ramping that total up just a bit for game two as their competition remains ongoing to find the best five names to start for Week 1.

Therefore, Houston will be able to get a better look at Stroud under center with his new first-round pick in Rutledge for the first time in-game, see how he jells with the rest of the new-look offensive line surrounding him, and get them in the action for likely two to three drives before turning to their backups again.

So expect a bit more excitement to be baked into this Texans preseason outing with Stroud set to take the field, with the action between Houston and Las Vegas kicking off at 7 p.m. CT in Reliant Stadium.

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