Texans Must Decide If Nick Caley Is Right for C.J. Stroud

Searching for a solution to their quarterback C.J. Stroud's turnover-riddled playoff implosion will dominate the conversation around the Houston Texans' fascinating offseason ahead.

It's a tricky process where some particularly difficult conversations will have to be had internally. No more so than when offensive coordinator Nick Caley sits down with head coach DeMeco Ryans over the coming days, they’ll have a lot to talk about.

Of course, Stroud has been placed squarely in front of a tsunami of very justified criticism, but Ryans has been keen to not throw his quarterback under the bus. Through his three years in Houston, Ryans has always run a tightly knit group, but that didn't extend to keeping former OC Bobby Slowik around last year.

If Ryans were going to make another pivotal move to change in terms of offensive directions, and shockingly part ways with Caley, he might run the risk of destabilizing Stroud even further.

It would also need a pretty blatant fracture within the Stroud/Caley dynamic to emerge for that split to go down, but most of the available evidence doesn't appear to point in that direction.

“Yeah, definitely. I love Cales,” Stroud declared on Monday. “I think there’s growth in our relationship, there’s growth in his ability to call plays, growth and DeMeco trusted him. Whatever our coaches decide, I love Cales and I’m rocking with him however long he’s going to be here.”

C.J. Stroud Confident Texans' Offense Can Bounce Back

Any rush to judgment could be damaging for all concerned, so perhaps Ryans would be well-minded to keep things calm after Stroud's rocky performance in Foxboro. On the flip side, just saying that there's room for continued growth in the relationship between Stroud and Caley would be a colossal understatement right about now.

“There’s a lot of things that can be fixed,” Stroud said. “I think that’s an area that we tried our best. I think when you have injuries, you have different things, and then you have a new system, you’re still trying to find your identity throughout the year. So, what we were running in the playoffs wasn’t what we were running in Week 1. It’s a whole different offense because it just changes.

“I think those things need to be fixed, and they’ll be addressed. It’s not just on Cales, so I want to nip that in the bud right now. It’s on me as well. It’s on everybody. It’s not just me and him," Stroud insisted. "It’s everybody. But it starts with me, and then it goes to him. It starts with everybody. So, it starts with us, too. I’m not going to put it on him. I’ll raise my hand and say me. So, those things will be fixed and we’ll be able to be better from that.”

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

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After the collective head-scratching subsides, and the current deep and talented crop of alternative offensive coordinators also find new gigs, deciding to stick with Caley for continuity reasons alone might still be a false economy.

After all, the real value in any OC is to get the most out of his quarterback, and despite all of Stroud's physical advantages, that simply went south during the playoffs.

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