CJ Stroud struggles as first team QB at Texans minicamp

If you can judge anything by a minicamp depth chart, then CJ Stroud is the new starting quarterback for the Houston Texans.

Stroud, the No. 2 pick of April’s NFL Draft, worked with the first-team offense when the Texans kicked off mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. That’s according to the Houston Chronicle. Coach DeMeco Ryans still hasn’t named a starter. He’s got almost two months before that’s necessary, so this is all one giant evaluation period. For now, Stroud and veteran Davis Mills are going by 1A and 1B. Even that changes by the day.

According to those who watched workouts during the portions open to the media, Stroud did struggle some. However, it can’t be emphasized enough — the former Ohio State star has been a pro quarterback for all of six weeks. He faced off against the defense’s No. 1s on Tuesday and, at times, overthrew receivers. That’s a common mistake for a quarterback getting acquainted with his receivers.

“The best thing I’ve seen about CJ with his improvement and his growth is he doesn’t make the same mistake twice,” Ryans told reporters. “He learns from his mistakes, he puts those behind him and he finds a way to continue to improve and get better.

“That’s what being a pro is, and CJ is definitely heading into the right direction when it comes to that.”

Ryans, the Texans new head coach, isn’t worried about the quarterback competition, itself.

“As the competition continues to grow, we’ll see who separates themselves,” said Ryans, who also is a former Texans linebacker. “The decision will take care of itself.”

Expect an evolving depth chart between CJ Stroud and Mills

The depth chart is pretty meaningless at the moment. Ryans is rotating Stroud and Mills. While Stroud received Tuesday’s first-team assignment, Mills will get QB1 for Wednesday. He’s got the experience advantage. The Texans selected Mills, the former Stanford star, in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He became the starter his rookie season. But the vacancy was caused by issues swirling around Deshaun Watson, who now is with the Browns, and an injury to Tyrod Taylor.

The Texans wouldn’t have selected CJ Stroud if the team viewed Mills as its future. That’s why the smart money is on Stroud to emerge as the first-team quarterback sometime soon. Ryans indicated he’ll continue the rotation between Stroud and Mills into training camp.

The Texans also made a splash on draft night when they traded with the Cardinals for the No. 3 pick. That’s how they secured Alabama linebacker Will Anderson. While Stroud is seeing time with the first team, Anderson currently is slotted with the second-team unit. For now. He also is drawing raves from Ryans, who coincidentally, played linebacker at Alabama. One of Anderson’s best plays in minicamp was a deflection of a Stroud pass during a 2-minute drill.