Texans tackle Trent Brown defends C.J. Stroud, calling out premature judgment and predicting a significant leap from the young quarterback.
The Houston Texans offense has taken plenty of criticism over the past few months. Since its season-ending loss to the Patriots the scrutiny has fallen on the offensive side of the football. In particular, the blame has fallen on starting quarterback C.J Stroud.
Several NFL onlookers have formed an opinion on Stroud, with many unafraid of sharing it without hesitation. Texans offensive tackle is not having the negativity that others are placing on Stroud. He shared his honest thoughts on the quarterback that leads the Houston offense.
"I expect C.J. to get better. People be so quick to throw people away that they forget what you've done for them. The build up, you know what I mean? I expect C.J. to get better. I think C.J. is going to come in and be even more of a leader than he's been. I think his approach will be different. Me and C.J. had a discussion probably about a month and a half ago and talked about the season and what he could be better at. I think this offseason is a little different for him and I think he's going to surprise a lot of people. I think people think that he might be down in the dumps, or they might be down in the dumps on him, but I think he's going to surprise a lot of people."
Houston Texans offensive tackle Trent Brown (77) is introduced before playing against the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium. Thomas Shea-Imagn ImagesMany are quick to make final judgments on Stroud, who has only played three NFL seasons. And while the third-year result was less than desirable, Stroud has had a better NFL career than most quarterbacks in his draft class. Nevertheless, there is room for growth, and the burden is on Stroud to take the next step from game manager to winner in his fourth NFL season.
Brown and Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans seem confident that Stroud will take that next step. Both were effusive in their belief of the Texans' starting signal caller. That said, Year Four is the time that Houston needs Stroud to make that jump if they want to be able to compete for titles in his second contract. At that point, Stroud will need to be the reason Houston wins.
The trajectory of the franchise is moving up for Houston as it looks to capitalize on a strong season in 2025. The Texans will look to make their first ever conference title game with an improved C.J. Stroud next season.