CJ Stroud named 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud earned the NFL‘s Offensive Rookie of the Year award on Thursday night at the league’s annual awards ceremony.

Stroud was one of five finalists for the award, which was voted on by the Associated Press voters. He quickly separated himself as one of the best young stars in the league when he took on a starting role to start the season. The five finalists going into the night were Stroud, Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs and Lions tight end Sam LaPorta.

Stroud broke numerous rookie passing records and had one of the most impressive rookie quarterback seasons to date, ranking eighth in the league with 4,108 passing yards and adding 23 touchdown passes to his stat line. He was extremely efficient for a rookie as well, throwing just five interceptions in his rookie season with a sixth-best passer rating in the league. But his biggest accomplishment may be leading the Texans to an AFC South title and an impressive playoff win over the Cleveland Browns.

NFL rookies shine in 2023

Puka Nacua was the last pick in the fifth round of last year’s draft, selected No. 177 overall by the Los Angeles Rams, but played more like the No. 1 overall pick in his inaugural season in the league. The former BYU wideout turned heads after racking up 266 yards in the first two weeks of the season. His 105 receptions and 1,486 yards on the year set new NFL rookie records, also finding the end zone six times on the season providing one of the best storylines of the season.

Bijan Robinson led all rookies with 976 yards on the ground in year one, finding the end zone four times on the ground and four times through the air. Like Gibbs, he made his presence felt in the passing game as well with 58 receptions for 487 yards, and will likely give defenses nightmares for many more seasons to come in the future.

Jahmyr Gibbs led all rookies with 10 touchdowns on the ground this season, adding a receiving score and 1,261 all-purpose yards to his stat line in his impressive first season in the league. But he didn’t limit his production to the regular season, scoring two touchdowns with 182 all-purpose yards in his two playoff games so far for Detroit as well.

Sam LaPorta didn’t just lead all rookie tight ends in the three major receiving categories, but ranked fifth amongst all NFL tight ends in yards, fourth in receptions, and led all tight ends with 10 touchdown grabs on the season. He ended his rookie season with 86 receptions and 889 yards, also getting it done for the Lions as a blocker in the run game.

On3’s Kaiden Smith contributed to this report.