The Houston Texans haven’t always had it easy, but they believe they have found their quarterback of the future in C.J. Stroud, giving them a true building block for the future. Selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Stroud has shown a great deal of promise early in his career, and there’s reason to believe he could be the guy who leads the Texans to a championship.
Being a quarterback in the NFL is hard, and that’s something Stroud is learning on the fly. Of course, there are ways to deal with the pressure and attention that come with being one of the best players in the league, and one thing that Stroud recently revealed he’s doing is embracing his faith in his quest to improve his play on the field.
C.J. Stroud Opens Up on How his Faith is Aiding his NFL Career
Right off the bat, Stroud experienced a great deal of success in the NFL as a rookie. In 2023, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns, while also rushing for 167 yards and three more scores. That earned Stroud a Pro Bowl selection and the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, while also helping Houston unexpectedly find their way into the playoffs.
Things didn’t go as well for Stroud in 2024, though. While the Texans won 10 games, Stroud’s numbers decreased across the board, even though he played in two more games than he did in 2023. Stroud’s production was still solid (3,727 yards and 20 touchdowns), but Houston’s offense never seemed to click like it did the year before.
In Week 1, Stroud and the Texans‘ offense struggled again, as he threw for 188 yards and an interception, with the team failing to score a single touchdown. Stroud isn’t panicking, though, and part of that is due to his faith. According to the man himself, Stroud is working on improving his faith in order to help him lead the best life possible off the field, which could also lead to even better play on the field for his team.
When you’re young in the NFL, trying to have fun being around, you enjoy a lot of the different things that it comes with,” Stroud said, per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. “And I think I’ve just grown as a person … So I just try my best to learn as a man of God, first and foremost, and then, just as an NFL quarterback, just the things to do and not to do.
“I’ve just evolved and am trying to keep my faith and my relationship with God at the forefront of my life. And I can’t be doing a bunch of different things and doing that. It’s very hypocritical.”
C.J. Stroud, Texans Looking to Get Back on Track in Week 2
GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans calls a play against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Texans are working some things out on the offense side of the ball, and it’s worth noting they have several new faces in town. It may take a while for the team to begin firing on all cylinders, but Stroud has proven he’s more than capable of leading this team’s offense, and he will be given some time to figure things out.
Picking up a win in Week 2 is going to be easier said than done, though, as Houston is set to square off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. With kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, all eyes will be on Stroud to see if he can help the Texans‘ offense find its footing, because if he can’t, the team could be staring down the barrel at a 0-2 record.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud Speaks Out on His Faith Ahead of Monday Night Football