National Football League

Texans happy with C.J. Stroud’s progress amid QB1 battle with Davis Mills

Published Aug. 2, 2023 5:33 p.m. ET

The Texans concluded a May practice with a two-minute drive. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud threw into a coverage that the defense was showing for the first time. As defensive coordinator Matt Burke put it, it was a throw Stroud "probably wanted back, I'll just say it that way."

As the team walked off the field, Stroud grabbed Burke. They spent 10 minutes talking, with Stroud peppering the DC with questions about the coverage that confused him, how it was set up. Stroud explained what he saw from his vantage point.

The rookie's deliberateness and intent to learn jumped out to Burke.

"I respect that from him," Burke said during OTAs.

Those qualities are serving Stroud well in Houston's quarterback battle.

The No. 2 overall pick, Stroud is competing with incumbent Davis Mills to be the Texans' starting quarterback. They've split first-team reps since the spring. Coach DeMeco Ryans hasn't given a timetable to name a starter. Houston's situation offers a sharp contrast to that of the Carolina Panthers, who've already named Stroud's good friend and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young as QB1.

But Stroud hasn't focused his mindset on the competition with Mills or the situation with Young. The way he sees it, doing so would provide confusion.

"That's my brother, man," Stroud said of Young. "I'm happy for his situation. I know that I have to work on my end and do whatever I gotta do to make this team better. It's not about the starter, who's not starting. It's about who's getting better for Week 1 against Baltimore. Right now, we're just building as a team. It's not just about the individuals."

Stroud's daily approach is to pick one or two things to improve on.

Everything has been an adjustment for him acclimating to the Texans' offense. It's getting better at calling plays in the huddle. The operation. His cadence. Drops. Footwork. Eyes.

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He's fallen in love with the playbook. Quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, senior offensive assistants Shane Day and Bill Lazor, and fellow signal-callers Mills and Case Keenum have helped him grasp it.

"It's a different style than what I played in in college, but a lot of similarities to it as well," Stroud said of playcaller Bobby Slowik's offense. "Very timing based. … A lot of late nights studying. A lot of early morning studying. Just trying to get this thing and know it like the back of my hand."

Ryans has seen Stroud's command of the huddle improve since the spring. He pointed out how many college quarterbacks look to the sideline for a signal or picture to indicate the play call. The Texans, by contrast, are asking him to operate from a huddle and make the play calls, which can be lengthy at times. There's a lot of different terminology that he has to know and understand.

What has impressed Ryans the most about Stroud, though? The dedication to his craft outside of Texans headquarters.

"He's a true football junkie," Ryans explained. "He loves football. Always watching football. Always asking for extra cut-ups from our coaches. I'm just impressed with the mental part of him and how much he loves the game of football. When a guy has that much love for the game of football, he has no chance but to continue to get better and improve.

"He's not worried about what reps he gets, who he's out there with," Ryans added. "He's just worried about maximizing his rep, and that's what I ask for from everyone."

But it hasn't been all smooth sailing for Stroud. He had three interceptions between practices Monday and Tuesday during team drills, including a pick-six to cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.

Slowik mentioned the heat in Houston as a factor.

"There's challenges that come with that," Slowik said. "Making sure that you know how to handle the heat. How to handle the challenges of a wet ball. How to handle the challenges of the center who maybe just ran four run plays in a row and 30 yards down the field and he's a little greased up. Having answers and preparations for that is a big part of just being able to handle the environment. Then just on top of that, just continuing to trust his feet, go through his progressions, which he's done a really good job of as we get through camp.

"Mistakes get made along the way," Slowik continued. "Sometimes it's the receiver. Sometimes it's me. Sometimes it's him. And you kind of just learn from him, grow from him, bank it. That's what training camp is about."

Slowik appreciates Stroud's response when he makes mistakes, though.

"Usually, he'll turn right around and he can say what went wrong, whether it was him, me," Slowik said. "He has a great feel for what's happening around him. It doesn't take all the way to the film room to be able to talk about it and know how to handle it. He has an idea before we see the tape. Typically with him, the tape is just verifying what he already knows."

It speaks to his work ethic.

"I don't want anything given to me," Stroud said. "I want to earn everything. And Davis is a great quarterback. So is Case. Honestly, we're not even focused on that. We're just focused on getting better and better and better. At the end of the day, if you try to focus on doing something extra or do this here and there, that's when you start confusing yourself and doing what's out of the playbook and making mistakes.

"So for now, it's just trying to get better for when we play the preseason and Baltimore Week 1."

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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