C.J. Stroud voted as team captain for Houston Texans
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.
Will Anderson opens up about his relationship with CJ Stroud
Being a top draft pick in the NFL comes with a lot of pressure to perform as the future of the franchise, but thankfully for edge rusher Will Anderson, he has quarterback CJ Stroud to help him shoulder the load.
The Houston Texans orchestrated a trade on draft day this year that allowed them to select Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick of the draft and Anderson right after him with the No. 3 pick. And during the Texans’ preseason finale versus the New Orleans Saints, Anderson spoke about his bond with his new teammate.
“It makes both of our jobs really easy, we lean on each other a lot,” Anderson said. “When I’m having a bad day he picks me up, if he’s having a bad day I pick him up. We always tell each other we’ve been playing football for a long time, it’s just at another level with greater competition, it’s what we do. And I think the coaches do a really good job of making sure that we’re prepared and that we know what to do.”