Can C.J. Stroud Ignite the Houston Texans’ Surprising Comeback in 2024?

Can C.J. Stroud Ignite the Houston Texans’ Surprising Comeback in 2024?

C.J. Stroud has one of the brightest futures in the NFL, but he took a step back last season. Bobby Slowik was fired from his job as offensive coordinator as a result of his unit’s issues. Caley said his offenses will play to the strengths of the players and “can evolve, be willing to change and do whatever we need to do that’s necessary based on who we have and who we’re playing.” That’s a very New England approach, which makes sense since Caley worked there for eight seasons. Stroud said Caley is giving him more ownership of the offense, which has gotten the relationship off to a good start.
Other NFL team previews: 32. Titans | 31. Saints | 30. Browns | 29. Panthers | 28. Jets | 27. Giants | 26. Raiders | 25. Patriots | 24. Colts | 23. Dolphins | 22. Jaguars | 21. Falcons | 20. Steelers | 19. Cardinals | 18. Cowboys | 17. SeahawksLast season the Texans’ offense was 26th in DVOA and the defense ranked third. If C.J. Stroud rebounds to his rookie year form with a little help from his supporting cast, the Texans might have a top 10 offense and defense. The defensive foundation should support another strong season on that side of the ball. There are questions on offense but Stroud’s rookie season shouldn’t be forgotten and maybe a change in coordinators helps flip a switch. The AFC South is still one of the league’s worst divisions, so it’s possible the Texans run away with it again.AdvertisementTexans No. 1 receiver Nico Collins is a superstar. Everything else around Stroud is a bit of a question. The offensive line is projected to be one of the worst in the NFL again. Joe Mixon had a good 2024 season (1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in 14 games) but is 29 years old and hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry since 2018. Nick Chubb was signed but the Browns never tried to bring back a franchise icon, which was telling. The receiver options alongside Collins have questions. Christian Kirk was dumped by the Jaguars for a seventh-round draft pick in a trade and the other two top options are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. They’re both talented but rookies are always an unknown. If Mixon slows way down, Chubb proves to be in significant decline after some serious injuries and no other receiving option emerges other than Collins, Stroud might feel like he has to carry the entire offense by himself. And he’d be doing so behind what projects to be a bad offensive line.

Texans No. 1 receiver Nico Collins is a superstar. Everything else around Stroud is a bit of a question. The offensive line is projected to be one of the worst in the NFL again. Joe Mixon had a good 2024 season (1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in 14 games) but is 29 years old and hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry since 2018. Nick Chubb was signed but the Browns never tried to bring back a franchise icon, which was telling. The receiver options alongside Collins have questions. Christian Kirk was dumped by the Jaguars for a seventh-round draft pick in a trade and the other two top options are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. They’re both talented but rookies are always an unknown. If Mixon slows way down, Chubb proves to be in significant decline after some serious injuries and no other receiving option emerges other than Collins, Stroud might feel like he has to carry the entire offense by himself. And he’d be doing so behind what projects to be a bad offensive line.

Texans No. 1 receiver Nico Collins is a superstar. Everything else around Stroud is a bit of a question. The offensive line is projected to be one of the worst in the NFL again. Joe Mixon had a good 2024 season (1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in 14 games) but is 29 years old and hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry since 2018. Nick Chubb was signed but the Browns never tried to bring back a franchise icon, which was telling. The receiver options alongside Collins have questions. Christian Kirk was dumped by the Jaguars for a seventh-round draft pick in a trade and the other two top options are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. They’re both talented but rookies are always an unknown. If Mixon slows way down, Chubb proves to be in significant decline after some serious injuries and no other receiving option emerges other than Collins, Stroud might feel like he has to carry the entire offense by himself. And he’d be doing so behind what projects to be a bad offensive line.

Texans No. 1 receiver Nico Collins is a superstar. Everything else around Stroud is a bit of a question. The offensive line is projected to be one of the worst in the NFL again. Joe Mixon had a good 2024 season (1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in 14 games) but is 29 years old and hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry since 2018. Nick Chubb was signed but the Browns never tried to bring back a franchise icon, which was telling. The receiver options alongside Collins have questions. Christian Kirk was dumped by the Jaguars for a seventh-round draft pick in a trade and the other two top options are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. They’re both talented but rookies are always an unknown. If Mixon slows way down, Chubb proves to be in significant decline after some serious injuries and no other receiving option emerges other than Collins, Stroud might feel like he has to carry the entire offense by himself. And he’d be doing so behind what projects to be a bad offensive line.

Texans No. 1 receiver Nico Collins is a superstar. Everything else around Stroud is a bit of a question. The offensive line is projected to be one of the worst in the NFL again. Joe Mixon had a good 2024 season (1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in 14 games) but is 29 years old and hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry since 2018. Nick Chubb was signed but the Browns never tried to bring back a franchise icon, which was telling. The receiver options alongside Collins have questions. Christian Kirk was dumped by the Jaguars for a seventh-round draft pick in a trade and the other two top options are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. They’re both talented but rookies are always an unknown. If Mixon slows way down, Chubb proves to be in significant decline after some serious injuries and no other receiving option emerges other than Collins, Stroud might feel like he has to carry the entire offense by himself. And he’d be doing so behind what projects to be a bad offensive line.

Texans No. 1 receiver Nico Collins is a superstar. Everything else around Stroud is a bit of a question. The offensive line is projected to be one of the worst in the NFL again. Joe Mixon had a good 2024 season (1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in 14 games) but is 29 years old and hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry since 2018. Nick Chubb was signed but the Browns never tried to bring back a franchise icon, which was telling. The receiver options alongside Collins have questions. Christian Kirk was dumped by the Jaguars for a seventh-round draft pick in a trade and the other two top options are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. They’re both talented but rookies are always an unknown. If Mixon slows way down, Chubb proves to be in significant decline after some serious injuries and no other receiving option emerges other than Collins, Stroud might feel like he has to carry the entire offense by himself. And he’d be doing so behind what projects to be a bad offensive line.

Texans No. 1 receiver Nico Collins is a superstar. Everything else around Stroud is a bit of a question. The offensive line is projected to be one of the worst in the NFL again. Joe Mixon had a good 2024 season (1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in 14 games) but is 29 years old and hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry since 2018. Nick Chubb was signed but the Browns never tried to bring back a franchise icon, which was telling. The receiver options alongside Collins have questions. Christian Kirk was dumped by the Jaguars for a seventh-round draft pick in a trade and the other two top options are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. They’re both talented but rookies are always an unknown. If Mixon slows way down, Chubb proves to be in significant decline after some serious injuries and no other receiving option emerges other than Collins, Stroud might feel like he has to carry the entire offense by himself. And he’d be doing so behind what projects to be a bad offensive line.

Yahoo’s fantasy take

Texans No. 1 receiver Nico Collins is a superstar. Everything else around Stroud is a bit of a question. The offensive line is projected to be one of the worst in the NFL again. Joe Mixon had a good 2024 season (1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in 14 games) but is 29 years old and hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry since 2018. Nick Chubb was signed but the Browns never tried to bring back a franchise icon, which was telling. The receiver options alongside Collins have questions. Christian Kirk was dumped by the Jaguars for a seventh-round draft pick in a trade and the other two top options are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. They’re both talented but rookies are always an unknown. If Mixon slows way down, Chubb proves to be in significant decline after some serious injuries and no other receiving option emerges other than Collins, Stroud might feel like he has to carry the entire offense by himself. And he’d be doing so behind what projects to be a bad offensive line.

Texans No. 1 receiver Nico Collins is a superstar. Everything else around Stroud is a bit of a question. The offensive line is projected to be one of the worst in the NFL again. Joe Mixon had a good 2024 season (1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in 14 games) but is 29 years old and hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry since 2018. Nick Chubb was signed but the Browns never tried to bring back a franchise icon, which was telling. The receiver options alongside Collins have questions. Christian Kirk was dumped by the Jaguars for a seventh-round draft pick in a trade and the other two top options are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. They’re both talented but rookies are always an unknown. If Mixon slows way down, Chubb proves to be in significant decline after some serious injuries and no other receiving option emerges other than Collins, Stroud might feel like he has to carry the entire offense by himself. And he’d be doing so behind what projects to be a bad offensive line.

Best-case scenario

Texans No. 1 receiver Nico Collins is a superstar. Everything else around Stroud is a bit of a question. The offensive line is projected to be one of the worst in the NFL again. Joe Mixon had a good 2024 season (1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in 14 games) but is 29 years old and hasn’t averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry since 2018. Nick Chubb was signed but the Browns never tried to bring back a franchise icon, which was telling. The receiver options alongside Collins have questions. Christian Kirk was dumped by the Jaguars for a seventh-round draft pick in a trade and the other two top options are rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. They’re both talented but rookies are always an unknown. If Mixon slows way down, Chubb proves to be in significant decline after some serious injuries and no other receiving option emerges other than Collins, Stroud might feel like he has to carry the entire offense by himself. And he’d be doing so behind what projects to be a bad offensive line.

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The crystal ball says

It wasn’t as easy in his second season, though it wasn’t a failure. It was just a lesson.

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