Aikman pinpoints C.J. Stroud's stalled development, urging the Texans to fix this critical offensive issue before it jeopardizes their future.
The Houston Texans' 2025 season came to an end on Sunday, as the franchise fell to the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The game was ugly, played in a mix of rain, snow, and low temperatures. Both offenses struggled, but C.J. Stroud's performance was highlighted as one of the main reasons the Texans could not sneak out a win in the big game.
Stroud came into the NFL on fire, as he had one of the best rookie seasons for a quarterback in league history. He protected the football, throwing only three interceptions during his rookie season. That has changed as ball security has become a concern for the young quarterback. He struggled with turning the ball over during Houston's Wild Card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it was a clear problem again against New England.
While broadcasting the game on Sunday for ESPN, the commentator and Hall Of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman spoke about the Texans and Stroud. "DeMeco Ryans and Nick Caserio, they’ve got some tough decisions they gotta make about this team on the offensive side of the ball," Aikman said. "They replaced Bobby Slowick last year after his two years as the offensive coordinator. C.J. Stroud has been chasing his rookie success for the last two years. He's not been the same player. We've not seen the development from him. There's a reason for that, and it has to be addressed."
Bobby Slowick was Houston's offensive coordinator during Stroud's rookie season in 2023, and he held that role again in 2024. After Stroud struggled a bit during his sophomore season, the organization parted ways with Slowick, but it seems like the former coordinator might not have been all that bad, as Stroud's problems continued into 2025. Aikman pressed the organization to dive into this issue and figure out what exactly is hindering Stroud's development.
This is a problem that has to be solved in the near future. Houston has to decide on Stroud's fifth-year option during the 2026 offseason, and a potential extension for the quarterback is also looming. It is hard to gauge how much trust the franchise has in the young quarterback, but it shouldn't be expected to turn its back on Stroud now.
Houston is a defensive team, and that defense has carried the team to a ton of success. If DeMeco Ryans and the rest of the coaching staff can unearth whatever is slowing down Stroud's development, this team could take another step forward.