CJ Stroud shares takeaways of Houston Texans playbook

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, who still finds himself in a quarterback battle with Davis Mills heading into his rookie season, said Sunday he’s fallen in love with the offense, which he briefly compared to the one he excelled in at Ohio State.

“I fell in love with it,” Stroud said. “Different style than what I played in, in college, but there’s some similarities to it as well. Very timing-based — I’ve actually really dove deep into it with [the coaching staff]. Just a lot of late nights studying, lot of early mornings studying — just trying to get this thing and know it like the back of my hand.”

Stroud, the No. 2 overall selection in April’s NFL Draft, is coming off two highly-impressive seasons at Ohio State. In 25 games, he threw for 8,123 yards with 85 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 69.3% passing. He added 80 carries for 136 yards and a score on the ground. Stroud led the Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl in 2021 and Peach Bowl in 2022.

Though it’s not a matter of if, but when Stroud takes the mantle as QB1, the 21-year-old said the mindset doesn’t change during a quarterback competition.

“I feel like, when you try to have a different mindset, you confuse yourself. So, for me, I just keep my head down and I work,” Stroud said. “Just try to work harder and harder every day. Just trying to beat that person in myself. Trying to beat that negative person and just trying to be the best person that I can be on and off the field.”

DeMeco Ryans shares what stands out about CJ Stroud

Thus far through Camp, Stroud had stood out for his ability, regularly drawing praise from first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans. Speaking with the media this past week, Ryans lauded Stroud for his “dedication to being as best as he could possibly be.”

“The thing that has impressed me the most is his dedication to being as best as he could possibly be,” Ryans said. “He puts the work — and not only when he’s here, of course — everybody does that. That’s given. But what you see about CJ, the work that and the preparation that he does when he’s not here. He’s a true football junkie. He loves football, always watching football, always asking for extra cut-ups from our coaches. I’m just impressed with the mental part of him and just how much he loves the game of football.”

He added: “When your guy has that much love for the game of football, he has no chance but to continue to get better and improve. That’s what I’ve seen with him from OTAs till now. Each day, he’s done what we’ve asked and he’s gotten better each and every day. He’s just continuing to keep his head down and just grind… Not worried about what reps he gets, who’s he out there with. He’s just worried about maximizing his rep and that’s what I asked for from everyone.”