The Houston Texans received a late Christmas gift from the NFL on Thursday when rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was officially cleared from concussion protocol and will start the final regular season home game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
“It’s great being back,” Stroud told reporters during his weekly press conference Thursday. “I missed it. I feel like everything that happened, I don’t want to say, happened for a reason, but it was kind of something that I guess God wanted me to go through. It was tough. It wasn’t easy, but my teammates held it down as best as they could, and I appreciate them for that. Now I’m back, and I’m happy to be here, and I’m happy just to do my job again.”
The No. 2 overall selection by the Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft was removed from the game against the New York Jets 18 days ago after his head hit the turf at MetLife Stadium as he was being brought down by a Jets defensive lineman. Stroud has had injuries that have caused him to miss playing time throughout his career, but he admitted to the media that this was the worst he has sustained.
“Injuries is a part of the game,” Stroud said. “I feel like concussions are a little different. I’ve had concussions before, but this one was probably the worst one I’ve had just because I hit the back of my head, and I hit the ground really hard. That was what made it so bad. I damn near hit my head on cement, kind of. It was cold, and the turf, I guess, isn’t the best I’ve learned. It is what it is, and I’m just happy to be back.”
Having Stroud back will give the Texans the added boost they have greatly missed on offense over the past two games, as they finished 1-1 under quarterback Case Keenum, who led Houston to a 19-16 victory over the Titans two weeks ago.
Yet, in a blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns the following week, Stroud’s presence was missed the most when it took the Texans more than a half even to cross midfield on offense. Keenum finished the game with 62 yards passing and two interceptions and was eventually replaced by Davis Mills, who led the Texans on two scoring drives while in the game.
“Injuries is a part of the game,” Stroud said. “I feel like concussions are a little different. I’ve had concussions before, but this one was probably the worst one I’ve had just because I hit the back of my head, and I hit the ground really hard.” #Texans #Sarge @TheTexansWire pic.twitter.com/OaOeMB0kbh
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) December 29, 2023
With Stroud under center, Houston’s chances of making the playoffs have vastly improved as the Texans control their destiny. If they win the last two games against the Titans and Indianapolis Colts, they guarantee themselves a postseason berth. Although there is a three-way tie for first place in the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Colts own the tiebreaker over the Texans, who are currently seeded in the eighth position.
Although personal accomplishments have been placed behind team goals for Stroud, he is still the frontrunner for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with 3,631 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and only five interceptions in 13 games started.
His touchdown numbers set the rookie single-season franchise record for touchdown passes, surpassing former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who had 19 in 2017. Stroud is the only quarterback in NFL history to record 2,500-plus passing yards, 15-plus touchdowns, and five or fewer interceptions in their first nine career games in the NFL.
“I think we have a lot of special guys, what I believe are special guys on our team and on our offense, and C.J. [Stroud] is one of them,” Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik answered when asked about having Stroud back. “He’s got an energy about him. He’s got an edge to him. He’s a great competitor. He carries himself the right way and approaches every day, every practice, and every game the right way.”
“There’s stuff that is intangible that is not even football related that I think a lot of guys really feed off of, who he is as a person. Then when he’s in the huddle, just like the command he has, the confidence he has, the ability to go execute what we’re trying to execute when we’re out there. All that I think everybody can see and everybody knows. But it’s really the intangibles that I think makes C.J. so valuable to us and such a special kid.”