Houston Texans' DeMeco Ryans Sees C.J. Stroud's Leadership Increase Ahead of Year 2

Despite being a captain as a rookie, coach DeMeco Ryans has seen C.J. Stroud take more of a leadership role ahead of his second season.

Jan 13, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) warms up with a message on his wrist before a 2024 AFC wild card game against the Cleveland Browns at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

C.J. Stroud displayed several attributes that made him the reigning offensive rookie of the year. With his arm talent, Stroud finished second all-time for accumulating the most passing yards by a rookie quarterback with 4,557 total passing yards. His desire to win ended the Houston Texans' three-year postseason drought, as Houston recorded 10 regular season victories while advancing to the divisional round of the postseason.

Leadership was another prominent attribute that made him a successful quarterback during his first season. Yet, during the first two days of mandatory minicamp, Stroud's captainship has been one of the most pleasing developments for coach DeMeco Ryans.

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"It's my job to hold guys accountable, along with other guys," Stroud said. "It's just a ton of expectations, it’s a ton of things that we want to do this year, that we should do this year, but you have to slow down and learn just how to execute one play at a time."

Ryans became enamored of Stroud's leadership amid a team scrimmage at the Houston Methodist Training Center, during which the offense was performing subparly. Stroud called for a huddle to help his team reset, and his message helped Houston's offense improve its production.

Ryans believes a quarterback's capability to bring the best out of his teammates while holding them accountable is just as important as his ability to throw touchdown passes during the regular season and playoffs.

"I just think if it comes from me, it means a lot, and now I'm stepping to the role more and more," Stroud said. "I'm just accepting that, and having fun with it and being myself and I just want everybody around me to eat off – I told them like this sport can change your life if you do it the right way.

"Being accountable, doing the extra stuff away from the facility, that stuff matters at the end of the day because all the expectations and all the pressure; that really doesn't matter if you do those things."

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