The Houston Texans are C.J. Stroud’s team, but uncertainty about his long-term future has opened the door for speculation. The Texans pushed back against the idea of trading Stroud, but the thought of potentially replacing him with Brendan Sorsby has emerged.
Sorsby is arguably the most controversial quarterback prospect set to enter the NFL in recent memory, if not ever.
His backstory makes him a polarizing potential replacement for Stroud, if the Texans chose that.
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GettyThe Cleveland Browns are not expected to pursue Brendan Sorsby in the Supplemental Draft.
Stroud’s contract runs through 2027 after the Texans picked up his fifth-year option, but ESPN’s Theo Dorsey believes they would be wise to not only target Sorsby as a potential replacement, but aggressively so.
Dorsey cited the Texans’ decision to extend Stroud’s draft classmate, Will Anderson Jr., among others, this offseason as a sign that the former No. 2 overall pick’s future could be elsewhere.
Not only has Stroud not received an extension, but there are also few signs that one is coming.
“This is not going to make a lot of people happy, especially not in my hometown. The Houston Texans have the 28th pick in the first round, and here’s all I want to say: You know you’re going to have a super late first-round pick if all things go well and C.J. Stroud is your starting quarterback for the future. They clearly were unwilling to commit to Stroud,” Dorsey told colleague Cameron Wolfe on “Theoretically Speaking” on June 16.
“If the Houston sections are that uncertain about Stroud, and they know they’re going to be picking super late no matter how good or bad Stroud is next year, why not jump all the teams that are going to try to wait to the second round for Brendan Sorsby? Pick him with a late first.”
Sorsby threw for 7,208 yards, 60 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions on 61.4% completion over the past four seasons, splitting them between Indiana and Cincinnati.
Dorsey argued that the potential reward outweighed the risk.
“Picking a quarterback with a late first-round pick is not going to tank your franchise if that guy doesn’t work out. If he does, you have your QB in waiting. You’re not forced to pay Stroud. You have an elite defense and a reset quarterback on a fifth-year option-eligible contract like this,” Dorsey said.
Dorsey admitted that he was ignoring the “real-world implications” of such a decision, but added, “This would be a genius move on behalf of Nick Caserio and the Houston Texans if they steal Brendan Sorsby on the back end of the first round.”
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GettyBrendan Sorsby would be a hard sell for the Houston Texans.
Wolfe said that he liked the “boldness” of Dorsey’s idea, calling it “fun,” adding that his colleague should be the one to break that news to Stroud and his agent, David Mughuleta, amid the Texans’ Super Bowl aspirations.
Wolfe also acknowledged that “it’s a business. People are grown men. You got to make the hard choices,” but emphasized, “Man, is that a choice.”
Dorsey asserted that it would be a difficult situation for the Texans to lose.
“If you’re Stroud and you know the Texans are going to use a first-round pick on a quarterback, a guy that’s going to be in your room to give you competition and possibly replace you, No. 1, hopefully, that sparks some MVP Aaron Rodgers in him, with what the Packers did with Jordan Love. No. 2, I would rather you do that with a 2027 pick,” Dorsey said.
“That’s not going to impact my ability to contend this year. You’re not like Matt Stafford, where you use a priority pick on a backup who’s going to sit here. You already used your ‘26 picks. It’s almost a ‘perfect match’ scenario where you can use a future first-round pick.”
Moreover, Dorsey believes the Texans have “already had to have some tough conversations” with Stroud amid the lack of an extension.
“He’s still sitting here like you and me, waiting.”
The Texans have 2021 third-round pick Davis Mills in the final year of his contract, and they used a sixth-round selection on Graham Mertz in 2025. Banking on Sorsby as the potential replacement for Stroud would be a gamble on a veritable luxury.
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GettyThe NFL figures to have something to say about Brendan Sorsby.
Wolfe called the idea “spicy,” but said that he was not against it. It could be worse than that for the Texans if they truly target Sorsby in the supplemental draft.
Sorsby’s talent is not in question. The 6-foot-4 passer also tacked 1,295 yards and 22 touchdowns on 320 carries onto his totals over the past four years. Many projected him as a first-round and potentially a top-10 pick in the 2027 draft.
However, Sorby’s early exit from college comes amid an ongoing gambling scandal.
An investigation revealed that Sorsby illegally made hundreds of bets, including on his own team and sometimes via proxies, over the past several years.
He entered treatment this offseason for a gambling addiction, with hopes of playing for Texas Tech. He got an injunction against the NCAA that would allow him to suit up. However, Sorsby’s team withdrew its suit and eyed the NFL amid widespread backlash and lawsuits.
Teams have shown interest, according to various reports.
Still, Sorsby will enter the NFL already under the league’s watchful eye. That could include additional hurdles even if a team selects him in the supplemental draft.
The last supplemental draft was in 2023. Jalen Thompson, a fifth-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, is the most recent player taken. The Texans have a nondescript history with the supplemental draft that would make Sorsby even riskier than he already is.
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