The Texans Can't Afford to Waste C.J. Stroud's Best Football

The Houston Texans have plenty of problems to address coming out of their bye week, but one thing they cannot afford to do is waste another season of C.J. Stroud playing some of the best football of his career.

Despite Houston's disappointing 2-5 start, Stroud has been one of the team's most consistent bright spots. Through seven games, the quarterback has thrown for 1,867 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception. His 100.7 passer rating proves just how well he has performed despite the circumstances surrounding him.

Unfortunately, that production has not translated into nearly enough victories for Houston after they entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations.

The Texans have struggled to find consistency on both the offensive and defensive sides of the football, and Stroud has simply not received enough help from the players around him. Whether it has been inconsistency up front, an underwhelming running game or questionable play-calling, Houston's offense has repeatedly made life more difficult for their franchise quarterback.

The running game has been particularly concerning. Even after adding David Montgomery this offseason, Houston is averaging just 84.7 rushing yards per game, making it difficult to establish balance and take some of the pressure off Stroud and the passing game. The offensive line has also struggled to create running lanes while continuing to deal with their own inconsistencies in pass protection.

Those problems have contributed to an offense that has not consistently played up to its potential. While Houston has enough talent at the skill positions to be a dangerous passing offense, the overall unit has struggled to put together complete performances.

There is also the question of offensive coordinator Nick Caley and whether his approach is allowing the offense to operate at its best. Houston has shown flashes of what their offense can accomplish, but those performances have been difficult to sustain from one week to the next.

Stroud has already proved that he can carry an offense when given the opportunity. However, individual performances mean very little when the team continues to struggle in other important areas.

The Texans can't continue expecting their star signal caller to overcome every issue surrounding him.

Stroud is still only 25 years old, and Houston has every reason to believe their best years with him could still be ahead. However, the organization cannot take that for granted.

The Texans have invested heavily in building a roster capable of competing, and they need to start putting the pieces together around their quarterback. Stroud has shown what he can do. Now, the rest of the team needs to give him a chance to turn that production into wins.