What CJ Stroud has done for the franchise quarterback is unparalleled. The success of Stroud with the Houston Texans reversed the course of the franchise and made the organization one of the best in the. NFL in just one year.
Stroud changed everything in Houston — for the better.
“I had a bunch of his games last year,” said NFL on CBS broadcaster Ian Eagle to CBS Sports this week. “To be honest, I was blown away.”
Eagle, who is calling Sunday’s Week 3 game between the Texans and Minnesota Vikings, saw things in Stroud that he hasn’t seen with young quarterbacks in a long time. Stroud’s intangibles were there immediately.
“I just saw smarts. I saw someone who was cool under pressure. I saw a natural leader out there on the field,” Eagle said. “Everybody in his team fed off him and he was just a rookie.
“It got to the point where you no longer looked at CJ Stroud as just a rookie of the year candidate, you look at him as a legitimate MVP candidate. That’s where his game took him his first year.”
Stroud’s first year was one for the ages. He finished his rookie season completing 63.9% of his passes for 4,108 yards with 23 touchdowns to five interceptions for a 100.8 passer rating, leading the. NFL in pass yards per game (273.8) and having the lowest interception rate (1.0%). The highest-drafted rookie quarterback to win a playoff game (No. 2 overall), Stroud’s 4,108 passing yards in the regular season were the third-most by a rookie quarterback in NFL history
Stroud is only the third quarterback in the past 50 seasons to lead the NFL in pass yards per game and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6, minimum 10 starts). Stroud also had the highest touchdown-to-interception ratio against winning teams in NFL history (including playoffs), having 21 touchdowns to two interceptions (10.5).
Through two games, Stroud picked up where he left off. Stroud completed 69.1% of his passes for 494 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions (104.7 rating), leading the Texans to a 2–0 start.
“It’s only two games into the second year and there are those who believe in sophomores, I don’t see it,” Eagle said. “I just see a continuation of all those skills and conviction in how he plays. There’s a competitiveness there. There’s an ability to read defenses that you never quite know is going to translate to the next level.
“He checked every box of what you look for in a franchise quarterback. And if you’re a Houston Texans fan, you might be in for a decade of playoff football with this guy under center.”
Did Stroud change the game for GMs?
Finding a franchise quarterback has always been the goal for NFL CEOs, however actually landing one is easier said than done. Stroud has forced general managers to up their game to land that franchise quarterback, just looking at the Texans’ success since he arrived in Houston.
The Texans won 11 games from 2020 through 2022. Stroud already has 13 wins in 21 games with the franchise (including playoffs).
“I don’t know if CJ Stroud’s success puts more pressure (on general managers), but I do know it’s a reminder in this league that you can improve faster than you can in other professional sports,” Eagle said. . “It’s proven if you make smart personnel decisions in the NFL, you can get a lot better in a year or two.
“Now as we know, Kansas City is the model and that plays to the franchise quarterback. And that’s where Houston has to feel really good that they have that area covered.”
Kansas City getting their pick right with Mahomes and Houston doing the same with Stroud may not have put more pressure on general managers to find that franchise quarterback, but it certainly raised their game. There is enough pressure to win in the NFL, however it is much easier to have that franchise quarterback.
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