The Houston Texans have made a telling decision on quarterback C.J. Stroud.
“The Texans have announced their team captains this season,” the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander posted on X on September 7, following the news, noting that “Azeez Al-Shaair, C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson Jr. and Jalen Pitre” had all earned the honor.
Alexander quoted a post from the Texans, which included a graphic of the captains and was captioned, “The C is stamped [exclamation points emoji].”
KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson noted on X that the Texans have “No special-teams captain. Three defensive captains, one on offense,” which is especially noteworthy for Stroud, not because he was named–starting quarterbacks typically are.
Instead, it is just the latest sign that the Texans are all in on Stroud, who had some strong thoughts for his detractors and got an equally telling message from a teammate.
Texans’ C.J. Stroud Claps Back at Doubters
Stroud had a strong message for his detractors, particularly those on social media, which ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime highlighted as part of a deep dive into the QB’s mindset.
Bien-Aime noted Stroud’s high confidence heading into the 2026 season.
“People are quick to use Twitter,” Stroud said, per Bien-Aime. “I focus on me. I can’t control [social media], so why would I care? Of course I’m human. I learned if some people had the opportunity to be me, they would. But a lot of people have opinions and don’t have opportunities.
“So the more opinions people have, the more opportunity that I have to prove who I am. They love to critique. That’s part of life. I play in an entertainment sport, so they’re critical of a lot of people. I have the opportunity to go play. No one can stop that.”
Stroud emphasized to Bien-Aime that his faith in God helped him through his tribulations, expressing gratitude for having the capacity to accept his imperfections.
He called pressure a “privilege” and, while touting his team, said, “I’m a hell of a football player.”
“He’s built for everything,” Texans wide receiver Nico Collins said, per Bien-Aime. “We believe in him, we love him. This is the best position he can be in right now. I feel like he is about to go out and show the whole world what he’s made of, and I can’t wait. We got his back 100%, all the way.”
Texans Know C.J. Stroud’s Reality
The outside is really the only place that Stroud’s future with the Texans has been outright questioned.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans–both of whom had quotes featured in Bien-Aime’s in-depth look–as well as owner Cal McNair have all expressed confidence in Stroud moving forward, even while acknowledging a need for improvement.
They have fallen short of committing to him long-term publicly.
His lack of a long-term extension only adds fuel to the speculative fire that the Texans may not be all-in on the No. 2 overall pick of the 2023 draft anymore.
However, in addition to their outright statements–which include Caserio shutting down trade speculation–the Texans have also shown a clear understanding of where they have failed around Stroud.
Caserio has revamped the offensive line in back-to-back offseasons.
On top of that, he has acquired Joe Mixon and now David Montgomery to steady the running game, and quickly moved to trade for Kayshon Boutte after losing Jayden Higgins to an injury.
Whether or not the Texans’ most recent fixes take hold remains to be seen, since the full starting offense played one drive during the preseason. Still, the Texans’ actions with Stroud have spoken as loudly as their words, if not more so.
Perhaps, just not the way the situation has been most commonly framed.
Texans Make Telling C.J. Stroud Decision as Strong Comments Surface