Make no mistake, C.J. Stroud is focused as he heads into a critical fourth season with the Houston Texans. Stroud has made his stance clear. He wants to remain with the Texans, and he feels as though he has already done enough to warrant a new deal.
Despite that, none has come, and Stroud has been the subject of intense scrutiny after a difficult postseason showing.
He is locked in this season, and he made that very clear.
Texans’ C.J. Stroud Puts League on Notice
GettyC.J. Stroud is locked in ahead of a critical season.
Stroud made a video game reference to make it clear that he is setting out to have a strong season, as he and the Texans reported for training camp on Tuesday.
“Should’ve double tapped,” Stroud captioned the post on Instagram on July 28, including a highlight of his offseason workouts with several of his Texans teammates. “Offseason 26’ with my brothers [checkmark emoji].”
“Double tap” is an old phrase and also a rule when facing zombies in the movie “Zombieland.”
The phrase has become popular in the video game world, specifically with the “Zombies” mode of the first-person shooter franchise, “Call of Duty.”
Stroud’s post drew plenty of attention.
Tank Dell posted, “[heart emoji] let’s roll p,” while fellow Texans wide receiver Lewis Bond said, “Let’s do it.” Xavier Hutchinson, another Texans wideout, posted “Up up uppity [shooting star and phone emojis]” and yet another, Jared Wayne, said, “Make em pay.”
Former Texans wide receiver Steven Sims posted, “Wassup 7”, while current tight end Brevin Jordan said, “You da one boa.”
Texans running back Jawhar Jordan and cornerback Jaylin Smith both shared emojis, while Oklahoma City Thunder guard and NBA champion Jared McCain also weighed in, saying, “YESSSIRRR.”
C.J. Stroud Gets Roasted in Return to Training Camp
GettyFans cracked jokes about C.J. Stroud as he reported for training camp.
Stroud’s message and the reactions to it belie those of fans to his return for the start of training camp this year.
“CJ7 reporting in [saluting emoji],” the Texans captioned a video shared on X on July 28 of Stroud walking into the team’s facilities for report day, going viral and sparking a slew of strong reactions.
“Over 6.5 million views lol,” ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime posted on X in reaction. “CJ becoming this polarizing is fascinating.”
At last check, the video had 13.1 million views on X alone.
“Dude Aura is complete[ly] evaporated,” one fan posted in the comments. “Looks like he’s going to high school for the last few darts before summer break. He gotta get back on his mission. Defense too elite to waste.”
Onyx Odds, a prediction platform, posted, “Buddy chopped off the dreads and lost all his aura [hysterical laughing emoji].”
Another fan noted that Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young was in the same situation last year.
Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown also weighed in, saying that guy look like he s*** his pants…” in a quoted post that, like the traditional replies, was derisive toward the embattled Texans’ passer.
Stroud will have to prove his doubters wrong this coming season, but the Texans have the roster around him to make his job as simple as possible.
Texans’ C.J. Stroud Sends Strong Message After Backlash