The Houston Texans have several issues they must resolve, but quarterback C.J. Stroud is among the least of their worries coming out of another loss in Week 2, dropping them to 0-2 on the young 2026 season.
ESPN 97.5’s Jacob Barzilla posted on X on September 22, “The Texans have unfortunately not gotten much from their day 2 picks of the last 2 drafts through 2 weeks:
- Jayden Higgins – IR
- Aireontae Ersery – 6 Pressures & Sack
- Jaylin Noel – 97 scrimmage yards
- Jaylin Smith – 7 snaps
- Kayden McDonald – IR
- Marlin Klein – 18 snaps
Of course, it goes deeper than that for the Texans.
“I feel pretty confident in tweeting this. One of the biggest mistakes Houston made was letting WR Stefon Diggs walk,” ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime posted on X on September 20. “Games like today show that. Gave up a second rounder too.”
C.J. Stroud Facing Grim Reality About Texans
The unfortunate reality for Stroud and the Texans is that a lot of the changes general manager Nick Caserio has made to the roster have not panned out, particularly on the offensive side of the football.
Former NFL cornerback Domonique Foxworth spoke candidly in defense of Stroud.
“I think that Stroud is going to get a lot of negative attention, because things aren’t going well for them offensively, and he’s betting on himself. And I know no one wants to hear people make excuses for him, but I’m gonna make excuses for him. Because they can’t run the ball, they can’t protect him. His best receiver might be a tight end. This is a tall task they’re asking for him,” Foxworth said on “Get Up” on September 21.
“The defense seemed to play better than it has last week. But they were out of this game because they could produce anything offensively. I know there are some quarterbacks that might be able to come elevate above all of this stuff, but there are not very many that can do something with what he’s going to through.”
The numbers at least partially back up what Foxworth said, though opinions on Stroud’s role in the inefficacy of the Texans offense remains subject to debate.
“QB CJ Stroud was pressured on 45.5% of his dropbacks vs Man, according to ESPN Analytics/NFL Next Gen Stats (22 dropbacks vs Man),” Bien-Aime said in a post on X on September 20.
“On drop backs against man: Stroud was 8-20, 102 Yds, 0 TD, 0 Int.”
C.J. Stroud in Unfortunate Situation
Stroud’s ability to perform under duress has been a polarizing topic about fans and media alike, particularly over the past two years.
His numbers in those situations support detractors’ stance. That is until context is added and skews the view back in the former No. 2 overall pick’s favor. Sunday’s performance–and, really, both games this season–have shown all of the Texnas’ shortcomings around Stroud at once.
Stroud has shown signs of progress and, by many accounts, has played well.
The question that the Texans have to ask is how much can they reasonably expect him to overcome as they keep an eye toward the future and an expected contract extension for Stroud.
Houston Texans Called Out as C.J. Stroud Gets Strong Words