CJ Stroud completes first NFL pass to himself in wild sequence
Well, CJ Stroud’s first completed pass as an NFL player was quite the circus, as he had it batted up and caught it himself.
As his Texans marched towards the 50 yard line on their very first offensive drive of the season, Stroud dropped back to pass on a second down with five yards to the sticks. As he dropped back and tried to rifle a pass out of the pocket, a Ravens defender sprinted forward and tipped the pass, sending it into the air.
Instead of letting the ball fall to the grass, Stroud ran over and caught the tipped pass and tried to gain a few yards but was stood up at the line of scrimmage. Take a look:
Stroud named team captain ahead of season-opener
Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud may only be a rookie, but he’s clearly earned the respect of his peers in his limited time in the Lone Star State.
The Texans announced Monday that Stroud was voted as one of four team captains as the 2023 season approaches, one of the highest preseason honors a player can earn.
Stroud was selected by Houston with the No. 2 overall pick of this year’s NFL Draft following an outstanding career at Ohio State. And while the expectations for him are high in his rookie season, he seems to have already checked a lot of the boxes regarding leadership in the eyes of his teammates.
Stroud joins offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil and the defensive back duo of Jimmie Ward and Jalen Pitre as the Texans captains this upcoming season.
Stroud was also a captain in his final season at Ohio State, and in that same season he led the Buckeyes to an 11-2 record behind his 3,688 yards and 41 touchdown passes. Following that season, he was a Heisman Trophy finalist, the Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and the Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, all honors he achieved for a second straight time in his collegiate career.
He saw limited action in the preseason for the Texans, completing 11 of his 20 pass attempts for 89 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, but much more of him will be seen in the regular season with Stroud being named Houston’s starter following their final preseason game against the Saints.
Stroud will make his regular season debut and debut as an NFL team captain on Sunday, when Houston hits the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens at 1 p.m. on CBS.