The Houston Texans have made a slew of changes around C.J. Stroud over his three seasons in the NFL, but it remains to be seen if they have been the right ones.
As Stroud heads into a critical fourth season facing an uncertain future, the Texans have been under the microscope more than ever, including the coaching staff, where Stroud was saddled, among other things, with a first-year offensive coordinator in Nick Caley in 2025.
There are doubts that there will be much improvement in the pairing in 2026.
C.J. Stroud Not Expected to Find Common Ground With Texans OC Nick Caley
GettyNick Caley’s partnership with C.J. Stroud is paramount for the Houston Texans.
Renowned quarterback coach Quincy Avery, whose list of clients includes former Texans star QB Deshaun Watson, has worked with Stroud since before the latter entered the league as the second overall pick of the 2023 draft.
Avery caught wind of a recent conversation between Houston Stressans’ Garrett Williams and ESPN’s Benjamin Solak regarding the Texans’ failures around Stroud.
Avery concurred, going even further to cast aspersions on the pairing with Caley.
“What makes this worse is the Texans run game is s*** and they lead the league in first down run rate,” Avery said in a post on X on June 29. “Constantly playing behind the sticks with the stalest passing game plan in NFL. Finding explosive plays from behind the sticks running quick game is a sure fire way to prevent your QB from being as successful as he can be.”
Avery continued in another post, saying, “The passing game took massive steps back last year with a new OC who clearly doesn’t see the game like CJ does (my opinion didn’t ask him about this). I honestly don’t see how the offense performs better with their offensive philosophy.”
“In his rookie season he had .14 EPA/DB, & 47% success rate. These are the two easiest metrics we use to define how often you’re creating positive plays & how positive are the positive plays. Good in these metrics. Last year, regular season, 46%
Solak has highlighted the Texans’ issues in the running game and protection before, focusing on how the former has impacted the coverages Stroud has seen.
It has led to a declining explosive play rate over the past two seasons.
Notably, Caley has joined the chorus of praise for Stroud’s work during the offseason program. The QB has also taken more ownership of the offense, including increased input, according to various reports. That could bridge the gap in visions that Avery suggested exists.
Also notable, Stroud and Watson were recently together for a charity event in Scottsdale, providing a recent connection between the current and former Texans QBs.
Running Game Woes a Consistent Theme for C.J. Stroud
GettyC.J. Stroud has not had a consistent running game during his tenure with the Houston Texans.
The Texans have ranked in the bottom third of the league in rushing in two of Stroud’s three seasons. They topped out at 15th in 2024.
Notably, they ranked 22nd in 2025, just as they did in 2023.
However, the Texans ranked 13th in rushing attempts this past season. They ranked 20th and 22nd in that category in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Houston has struggled to generate much push for their backs before first contact during that span.
Shuffling the offensive line throughout that time has only exacerbated the issue for Stroud and the Texans.
Moreover, his rushing waned after he suffered the second concussion of his career in 2025.
Texans Face Ominous Potential Reality
GettyThe Houston Texans could face an interesting decision on C.J. Stroud.
ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime joined Williams for a separate interview, in which the former spoke about Stroud playing well before his concussion and how his legs were essentially taken out of the equation after that, suggesting it could have been a sort of mental block.
Bien-Aime said he does not suspect Stroud would hold out next offseason if he does not get an extension before then.
He noted that QB contracts are more complicated than other positions, except for the elites’.
However, Bien-Aime added that he could see a scenario in which a team like the New York Jets, whose offensive line the beat reporter praised, comes calling the Texans about Stroud next offseason. It is a theory that continues to gain steam the longer the situation plays out.
Deshaun Watson’s Personal Coach Rips Texans Over C.J. Stroud