Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud added some additional concern about his recent performances after an admission he made about the team’s offense following Houston’s playoff exit.
Stroud just finished his first season under new offensive coordinator Nick Caley by throwing four interceptions in Sunday’s AFC Divisional loss to the New England Patriots. After that game, he admitted that even at the end of the year, he still was not fully comfortable in the team’s offense.
“I know that I’m still getting better, and I’ve still got a lot of things to figure out,” Stroud said, via Ben Arthur of FOX Sports. “It’ll be year four next year, and I’m still learning every day. We had a new system this year and new guys, and it’s something I’m still getting adjusted to. Those are no excuses. I’ve just got to learn from that.”
Stroud certainly gets some leeway when learning a new system, but the Texans probably hoped he would be further along by the end of the season. Instead, the quarterback looked shakier than ever. At no point during the season did he look like he was taking a major step forward, as he threw for a modest 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions during the regular season. Frankly, even in a new system, one would hope that the quarterback would have a pretty firm understanding of it by the end of the season.
The Texans obviously are not giving up on Stroud, but there is no doubt that there are serious questions about his future after another stagnant season. If he does not take a step forward in 2026, those questions will get even more pressing.
