Former Texans coach Gary Kubiak weighs in on Houston QB CJ Stroud

Spectators to C.J. Stroud‘s rookie season came away impressed with the former Buckeye’s performance and former Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak is no different. Kubiak, who coached the Texans from 2006 to 2013, broke down what he likes about the young star on the Locker Room this week with Landry Locker.

“Extremely impressed,” Kubiak said of Stroud’s first season. “The first thing that jumps out to you is that he can make any throw at any time. It doesn’t take a lot of effort for him to put the ball 30-40 yards down the field, even with people around his feet and those types of things. Those are just god-given talents and that’s really special when you see that. You never see any panic with him when those things are going on and that’s a tremendous time.”

“Now, it’s time for Year 2 and I’m sure Bobby and he have been studying everything they can study to put a new spin on what they can do,” he added. “DeMeco continues to get the football team better around him and that’s the best friend a quarterback can have around him – a good football team.”

In his rookie season, Stroud posted 4,108 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63.9% of his passes. He also tallied 167 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

For his efforts, Stroud was named the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Moreover, Stroud was selected for the Pro Bowl, becoming only the second offensive rookie in Texans history to earn a spot in the prestigious event.

Stroud ready to execute in Year 2

The Houston Texans’ star quarterback is ready to kick it up a notch in his second year in the league.

“Just keep growing,” Stroud said of his Year 2 goals. “The name of the game is execution. The times where we executed at a high level, were the times we won those games. So that’s just the goal. Just execute and be able to be on the same page.

“Build chemistry right now, so when the ball rolls, we’re ready to fly around at a high level. I mean, that’s the goal and there’s goals on top of that. But, that’s the foundation right now.”

Stroud’s 4,557 total passing yards last year, including the postseason, were the second-most in NFL history by a rookie, trailing only Andrew Luck (4,662) in 2012. Additionally, Stroud began his career with 192 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the most ever by a player to begin a career.

“It is a really, really impactful year to me that really sets the trajectory for the rest of his career,” Texans coordinator Bobby Slowik said of Stroud’s second season. “You get to hammer the fundamentals. Like last year, there was a lot going on. You have to hit fundamentals, you have to hit verbiage, you have to hit play calls, you have to hit productions, you have to hit all this stuff.

“Now we really get to dive into the fundamentals of ‘this is what we do and how we play’ and what makes him great.”