DeMeco Ryans Opens Up on Texans' Decision to Change QBs Coach

How the Houston Texans' top brass have approached the ongoing process of piecing quarterback C.J. Stroud back together has seen every tentacle reach deep inside the organization.

Spending liberally on rebuilding the offensive line and trading for standout veteran running back David Montgomery have stood out, but head coach DeMeco Ryans has also made a switch at quarterback coach.

Replacing previous incumbent Jerrod Johnson with the vastly experienced face Jerry Schuplinski is presumably designed to crawl even deeper inside the mind of Stroud. Without any doubt; every effort is being made to best enable Stroud, especially now that the news has broken that the team will be picking up the fifth-year option on his contract.

Indeed, Ryans isn't afraid to unashamedly admit that inserting the Schuplinski factor into the dynamic is completely quarterback-centric to its core.

“For me, it’s ‘How can we help C.J. the best?" Ryans said at the NFL owners meetings, via Jonathan M. Alexander of The Houston Chronicle. “Maybe it’s a change of voice. Who is leading that room? Who is really giving him that information? Who is coaching him up? Can that move the needle a little bit more?"

"So everything that we do, from my perspective as a coach, a lot of tough decisions have to happen, and a lot of people don’t always agree with it and that’s OK... But for me, it’s my role to make sure the Texans are in as best position we can be in.”

Ryans, in the process of hiring the second quarterbacks coach of his tenure in Houston, appears focused on finding the ideal coaching fit for their system, and that's where he figures that Schuplinski fits right in.

“He has the experience in the system, he knows exactly what we’re looking for from the coordinator perspective with Caley,” Ryans said. “He knows how to speak it. Jerry has coached quarterbacks in this league before. … It puts him in that role where I feel the flow of communication is going to be really good.”

“Jerry was great. He’s been a great guy to work with. He’s another guy that brings great energy to the building. Always positive energy every single day, so I’m excited to see Jerry working with C.J., Davis [Mills], Graham [Mertz] and seeing how he can really move the needle with that group.”

DeMeco Ryans Confident in What Jerry Schuplinski Brings

Ryans clearly feels that throwing an arm around his quarterback extends to having a new support network who can all speak the same language as Stroud. So as Ryans sees it playing out, offensive coordinator Nick Caley will bring some degree of continuity, with Schuplinski as the new expert translator.

But there's still reason to pump the brakes, because there's little doubt that Ryans and Co. are also opening themselves to plenty of criticism, regardless of the greater motivation.

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans head coach Demeco Ryans questions a call during the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Seemingly bending over backwards for Stroud could very well backfire, especially if his spluttering career trajectory doesn’t start to take a dramatic upward tick.

But ultimately, all that outside noise matters little to Ryans. He feels deep down that Stroud is taking the positive steps toward sustained improvement.

“Being young in his career, he’s gained a ton of valuable experience,” Ryans declared. “And seeing that it hasn’t gone as we would like it to go — of course you would like to win it all — but when you go through those difficult moments, those tough times, you learn from them.”

“I know C.J. has learned from those moments. Now we have to go out and improve and show it on the field. But to see the manner in which he’s attacked the offseason, he’s working hard, he’s throwing every day, he’s been dialed in, so I’m excited to see how this continues to transition to him having a really great year for us.”

Banking on Stroud doesn't only amount to the vast dollar and cents the 24-year-old will accumulate when he signs his new fifth-year option. Most critically, it will incorporate a rather large investment from his head coach— a significant plunge which isn't guaranteed to accumulate interest either.

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