Texans Daily

Texans' C.J. Stroud Has Learning Experience in Preseason Debut

Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled on his two drives against the New England Patriots.

Hunter De Siver

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The preseason is a test for rookies and sophomores to get their feet wet before they dive into the deep end that is the regular season. 

However, Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans wanted rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud to let the water hit his shoulders in their preseason opener against the New England Patriots.

"From C.J. in this game, I just want to see a guy come out and command the huddle and command the offense," Ryans said before the game. "Get us lined up, get everybody on the same page, and operate efficiently."

That said, Stroud's NFL debut was not the start he had dreamed of.

Stroud completed 2-of-4 attempts for 13 yards. The Ohio State product's second pass attempt was intercepted by Patriots safety Jalen Mills, who crossed in front of intended rookie receiver Tank Dell.

Stroud seemed to show signs of nervousness with each dropback, as he was often hesitant and waited a long time to release the ball. On one play, he had rolled outside of the pocket and stumbled without any pressure facing him. The interception play as a whole was a good summary of Stroud's night.

By our timer, he took 3.20 seconds to release the ball. Next Gen Stats said that 2.77 seconds is the average time of release, meaning a few more milliseconds will practically guarantee that pressure is coming. While this was a solid job by the offensive line, Stroud has to get the ball out of his hands faster.

In regards to the interception itself, Stroud didn't see Mills coming across Dell's post-corner route by the first down marker. Nothing to panic about here though, as it's a rookie mistake that's better to do now rather than in the regular season.

While the offensive line played well on the interception play, they didn't do Stroud many more favors, as he had to run outside of the pocket a few times and even took a 15-yard third-down sack (negated due to roughing the passer penalty). Stroud had two carries for four yards on some of those unexpected roll-outs.

Stroud's debut could've been different had he played more drives. However, his rough start may have changed Ryans's "command the offense" goals for him this week.

It's uncertain at this time if Stroud will play more drives in the Texans' next preseason game against the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 19.

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Hunter De Siver
HUNTER DE SIVER