Coach Ryans sees valuable lessons in C.J. Stroud's playoff struggles, believing the quarterback's offseason dedication will fuel a breakout 2026 season.
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has caught plenty of criticism for the end of his 2025 NFL season. It has made for what has undoubtedly been a restless offseason as Stroud looks to shake the frustrations of a season ending loss to the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
Much of the criticism for the individual game was warranted. Stroud made astoundingly poor decisions in the loss to the Patriots. Great defenses and playoff pressure will facilitate those decisions. Albeit the overarching narrative that Stroud is not the guy to bring Houston a championship seems premature.
Texans head coach Demeco Ryans is not buying those big picture narratives. At the NFL's league meetings, Ryans shared that his negative playoff experiences could make him a better quarterback moving forward in 2026.
"C.J. is a young quarterback. Being young in his career, he's gained a ton of valuable experience and a ton of playoff experience and seeing that it hasn't gone as we would like it to go there in the playoffs. Of course, you always want to win it all, but when you go through those difficult moments, those tough times, you learn from them. I know C.J. has learned from those moments.
To see the manner in which (Stroud) has attacked the offseason, he's working hard. He's throwing every day. He's been dialed in. So, I'm excited to see how this continues to transition to him having a really great year for us. So, I'm excited to see what comes from the work that he's putting in. It's only going to be better. The mindset is right. Physically, he's in a really good space. Mentally, in a really good space."
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans looks on during the second half against New England Patriots in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. David Butler II-Imagn ImagesOne thing in Stroud's favor is that his head coach takes full ownership of his success. In some ways, Ryans does so by putting more pressure on his defense to perform and carry the team to greatness.
Ryans' defense topped the league in 2025 with several players performing toward the top of the NFL at their positions. At every level of the defense Houston had someone excelling at what they do best. Yet for the Texans to fully realize their potential, they will need Stroud to reach another level of quarterback play. Ryans realizes it, but does not seem deterred.
Stroud seems like the clear best fit to fix the Texans' playoff woes. He will look to do so in the 2026 season.