C.J. Stroud Named Starter For Texans Preseason Game 1

The C.J. Stroud era is officially set to begin in the Texans first pre season outing.

Matt Galatzan | Aug 7, 2023

In this story:

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans drafted C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft this spring, hoping that he could take the franchise back to the heights it reached in the Deshaun Watson era.

And in the team's first preseason game against the Patriots on Thursday, he will get his first chance, with Stroud reportedly being named the starter by head coach DeMeco Ryans.

The news may not be surprising, given that the franchise took the Ohio State quarterback with the No. 2 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. But the Texans refused to prematurely hand the starting job over to Stroud, and the rookie prospect agreed with that position.

"I don’t want anything given to me — I want to earn everything," Stroud said. "We’re just focused on getting better. So. right now, it’s just trying to get better for when we play the preseason and then of course [when we] play Baltimore in Week 1."

Stroud spent the first six days of training camp in a close battle for QB1 with Davis Mills. Both quarterbacks began camp by splitting reps with the first team. And since the start of OTAs in May, there were moments Mills may have made some bids to remain as the Texans' starting quarterback.

However, the Texans ultimately drafted Stroud with the intention of him taking over the reins of the franchise. And now, the Stroud era in Houston is officially set to begin.

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here to Subscribe to the Longhorns Country Newsletter

Want even more Texas Longhorns? Check out the SI.com team page here

Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.

Make sure to subscribe to the Longhorns Country Podcast today! Click here To Listen.

Published Aug 7, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com