What Texans' C.J. Stroud Said About Fernando Mendoza After Joint Practice

The Houston Texans took on the Las Vegas Raiders for a joint practice on Tuesday morning, the Texans' first of two heading into this season, taking place just a couple of days before these two teams play one another in the second week of the preseason.

But it was in this practice where the Texans got a look at this year's No. 1 overall pick, Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who came off of his first-ever preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, where he threw 10/16 for 97 yards and a touchdown.

And there's no doubt that Mendoza enters this roster with some high expectations. He feels bound to play some games this season as a rookie, even if he doesn't start the season, and as the No. 1 pick, the Raiders have a vision that he can start at quarterback for years to come.

It's a little similar to the situation that the Texans’ own signal-caller, C.J. Stroud, also entered the league to Houston at the No. 2 pick in 2022 with an impressive college career and joins a quarterback-needy franchise that desperately covets some direction.

So if any quarterback can speak to what Mendoza is going through in the lead-up to his first season right now, Stroud is right within that mix of guys that had a similar setup starting their NFL journey.

What C.J. Stroud Said About Fernando Mendoza

And as the two were in the same facility, the Texans quarterback spoke about what he's seen from Mendoza through his start to his time in the NFL this far after seeing him from the other sidelines in practice.

Really Stroud had all positive reviews to note for the Raiders' future franchise face, and sees Mendoza on a positive trajectory moving forward.

"I think he's a good player," Stroud said of Mendoza after Texans' practice. "I think he'll have a lot of success in the league if he continues to be himself, puts God first, and of course, what they put around him matters. I think he has a great coach, a great play-caller. So I think he'll do well."

A large part of the equation that Stroud highlighted was the surrounding pieces, a lot of which the Raiders have changed this offseason in preparation for a new franchise leader to take the reins, including a new head coach in Klint Kubiak and a new center in Tyler Linderbaum.

And perhaps that connection to the surrounding situation is a bit of a link as to why Stroud's career arc looks like it does. His surrounding cast was on the rise in 2023, injured and up-and-down in 2024, and was lackluster in 2025. As a result, Stroud's development three years in has been turbulent.

If the support isn't right, sometimes, the quarterback can't excel, even as a top pick with a ton of talent. And in the case of Houston, they haven't always had those pieces to put around their signal callers.

Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga (95) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) in the second quarter in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

However, in the case of the Raiders, though, Stroud has confidence that Mendoza, who he'll be seeing on Thursday night in the Texans' preseason game, can be the answer under center in Las Vegas.

Mendoza showed all of the talent this past college season at Indiana to be an NFL-level quarterback, has shown every sign that he can be a mature locker room leader, and has the winning pedigree to show for it.

Houston will get their first look at the reigning national champion at 7:30 PM CT on Thursday night, where Stroud will also see his first snaps of the preseason.

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