What C.J. Stroud Said at OTAs That Should Excite Texans Fans

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud enters the 2026 season with a lot to prove.

He comes off of two consecutive regular season showings leaving more to be desired compared to his rookie year. His last game resulted in an ugly four-interception loss to the New England Patriots in to leave Houston coming up short of an AFC championship appearance for a third straight year.

And on top of all that, he's eyeing a brand-new extension that could be on the table this time next offseason, if he bounces back in a big way. Simply put, nobody on the Texans' roster has higher stakes for the 2026 season than Stroud.

Yet, the positive signs are already showing that Stroud isn't just mentally focused for a strong year four, but the Texans' offense could be seeing some tweaks that ultimately help him rebound to a season closer to that often-mentioned rookie campaign many want to see out of him again.

C.J. Stroud, Nick Caley Making Tweaks to Texans' Offense

One big component of Stroud's fourth season that could help guide him to a bit of a resurgence might be a refined offensive system under play-caller Nick Caley.

Now in his second year leading this Texans offense, Caley and Stroud appear to have worked throughout the offseason on trying to pick apart the things that have worked well in Houston's passing game in the past, and implementing into their newly-formed attack for the 2026 season.

“I watched a lot of our self-scout. Try to fix some things. Try to introduce some things I’m used to that I’ve done in my past that I like to do, so we can do that a little more," Stroud said at Texans OTAs. “[ Nick Caley and I] are both growing."

"We’re creating a better relationship and growing as an offense, and trying to make it the offense for the 2026-27 Texans; doing things that everybody is good at and doing things we’ve done in the past. So, we're growing in that area.”

Jul 24, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Caley's offense was far from perfect in 2025, even while ranking in the top half of the NFL in terms of the league's scoring offenses.

The run game was limited, the offense often fell into second or third-and-long situations because of some early down woes and inconsistencies, and the offensive line's effectiveness still left more to be desired.

Personnel changes made throughout the offseason will definitely help provide a necessary lift to all those areas, particularly as it relates to David Montgomery's addition in the backfield and the multiple offensive line adjustments.

But Caley and Stroud's individual growth helps make a big dent as well, and should only help this offensive unit's progression as a whole.

Play-Calling Continuity Provides a Major Boost

It's not just minor tweaks made to the Texans' offensive scheme and play-calling that'll help boost Stroud's stock headed into next season, though. The continuity on the play-calling side of the equation is sure to help out in a big way as well.

More specifically, having Caley with a full season of experience under his belt after being a first-year playcaller in 2025 after replacing former offensive coordinator Bobby, combined with a second year of partnership with Stroud, is only going to lift this offense to higher heights.

That added experience and time in Houston's system under Caley is part of why Stroud himself feels like this offense is multiple steps ahead from where they were at this time last year.

"With anything, going into a year two of a system, you learn more, you can operate better, you know how to coach guys up," Stroud said. "So, I think we've taken a huge step from where we were last year to where we are now."

C.J. Stroud on DeMeco Ryans saying the #Texans are "light years ahead" of last year's OTAs:

🗣️"I think we've taken a huge step from last year to where we are now..."

"The culture is starting to pick up on offense, and we're getting it together."🔥 https://t.co/dVlG3n27jw pic.twitter.com/zGtaA6BVJW
— Houston Texans On SI (@TexansOnSI) May 28, 2026

If Stroud's comments are a sign of anything, this Texans offense should be a lot better than their previous edition turned out to be. And that might just be the turnaround needed to finally get Houston over the hump in 2026.

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