Texans' C.J. Stroud Defends Marvin Harrison Jr. Amid Outside Criticism

Upon his arrival to the Houston Texans, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has seen no shortage of criticism from his first few years in the NFL.

Since being selected as the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Harrison Jr.'s stock has largely been up and down in the league. His rookie season with the Arizona Cardinals was encouraging, but since then, things have been a bit turbulent.

It's almost a similar situation that Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has faced himself over the past few seasons: he had a strong, Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2023, but has seen many critics surface in the years since–– especially coming off of his latest postseason loss earlier this year.

So as Harrison Jr. takes the next step in his NFL career in Houston and looks to bounce back from his ups and downs, Stroud tends to have about as good a perspective as anyone on how to take on that outside noise.

What C.J. Stroud Said About Marvin Harrison Jr. Criticism

Stroud addressed some of the criticism surrounding Harrison Jr. following the Texans' first practice with their new wide receiver earlier this week, ultimately giving some quality insight having been in a comparable position himself.

"I don't think anybody is ever a finished product. You're always learning ways to get better and improve at what you're already good at," Stroud said on Wednesday.

Oct 11, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) warms up against the against Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I think there are two perspectives you can look at: the world's perspective, or what people think you are, and your own perspective of who you think you are and who you believe you can be. I think the latter is more important. I've learned that what people say doesn't really matter. They can't stop or start what you have going on."

"Marv knows that. He's a heck of a player. I don't agree with some of the things being said about him, but at the end of the day, those are outside opinions... I think he'll be fine. I'll try to be that resource for him if he needs me, but he's a confident dude. He'll be fine."

How C.J. Stroud Has Handled His Own Criticism

Even for Stroud himself, handling all of the critics that have surrounded him has still required an adjustment process on his part.

In his case, he's gone from being viewed as one of the brightest young quarterbacks in the NFL by many back during his rookie season, to now having an array of doubters questioning how good he really is in just a couple of years’ time.

In a world where just about everyone can voice their opinion, and in this type of profession, Stroud has come to learn that tuning out that noise–– whether it be good or bad–– is simply a part of the job.

"It's taken time, and I'm still working on it now," Stroud said of balancing praise and criticism.

"I remember my rookie year. I was playing really well, and everybody was praising me. I also remember a time in college when everybody was really hard on me and critical. Then I started playing really well, and everybody started loving me. I thought that was kind of weird because people were so up and down."

"At the end of the day, people are going to have opinions and critiques, and rightfully so. People get paid a lot of money to judge what we do, and we're in the entertainment business. We're not exempt from criticism. It's up to you whether you let it affect you."

Now with Harrison Jr. in the mix, Stroud can now go to battle with not only one of his former teammates from Columbus, but also alongside someone else that's faced their fair share of bashing from the court of public opinion. That's some pretty good motivation to be had for any player.

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