John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
Wednesday is the one-year anniversary of C.J. Stroud being named as the Texans' starting quarterback. When Head Coach DeMeco Ryans made it official, his announcement ended weeks of media and fan speculation that Stroud would start the first game at Baltimore over Davis Mills, the incumbent.
We all know how that worked out. Obviously, Ryans made the correct decision.
Stroud, the second overall pick in the 2023 draft, was voted NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after his exceptional first season. The Texans finished 10-7, won their first AFC South championship since 2019 and pulverized Cleveland 45-14 in the wild card round. In the divisional round against the Ravens, the score was 10-10 at halftime. The Texans trailed 17-10 in the fourth quarter before losing 34-10.
So what are Stroud and the Texans planning for their encore performance? Of course, they're planning to be even better this season, but they face a much more difficult schedule because they finished in first place.
It's interesting to note the Texans' 2023 season began and ended at Baltimore. This season, the Ravens come to NRG Stadium for a Christmas Day game that'll be televised by Netflix.
Barring surprises, Stroud will be one of three offensive players, along with receiver Tank Dell and right guard Shaq Mason, who started in the first game at Baltimore last season. He's one of only four offensive starters with Mason, receiver Nico Collins and center Juice Scruggs returning from the playoff loss to the Ravens.
As for the defense, because of injuries and personnel decisions, only three starters return from the playoff loss: end Will Anderson Jr., cornerback Derek Stingley and safety/nickel Jalen Pitre. Four from the season opener are back in the lineup: Anderson, Stingley, linebacker Henry To'oto'o and safety Eric Murray.
That kind of turnover is amazing for a team that reached the second round of the playoffs, but that's what Ryans and Executive Vice President/General Manager Nick Caserio charted for the Texans to take another step in their evolution to become a Super Bowl contender.
Last season, the best quarterbacks the Texans played against were Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and David Carr. They were 5-2 against them in regular season.
This season, the best quarterbacks the Texans will play are Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love, Dak Prescott and Jared Goff.
One of the best things about watching the AFC South will be the development of Stroud, Lawrence, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis. Stroud is 1-1 against Lawrence, 0-1 against Richardson and 1-0 against Levis.
The schedule also includes the first and third overall picks in Chicago's Caleb Williams and New England's Drake Maye.
Caserio and Ryans knew after last season the schedule would be tougher, and they mapped offseason plans accordingly. To keep offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson from leaving for other jobs, Caserio signed them to extensions that included hefty raises.
Caserio and Ryans beefed up Stroud's side of the ball by adding receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon to the starting lineup. They re-signed tight end Dalton Schultz. They welcomed back receiver Tank Dell and left guard Kenyon Green from injuries.
Barring debilitating injuries, Stroud should have a prolific passing game. An improved running game could take some pressure off Stroud because it'll force opposing defenses to play a guessing game. Keeping the defense off balance can work wonders for a quarterback, especially for one like Stroud, who's predicted by many nationally to figure into the MVP conversation.
It's mind-boggling to think about what Stroud and the offense achieved last season. The Texans played 11 different starting offensive linemen because of injuries. They lost Dell with a season-ending injury in the 11th game. Green never played. Their running game struggled for much of the season with Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce.
Excellent coaching by Ryans and his staff helped the offense and defense overcome issues that could have derailed the team from its pursuit of a first playoff appearance in five years.
As long as Ryans is coaching and Stroud is playing, the Texans have a chance to beat any team. There are no more automatic losses like in 2020-2022. With Stroud in the lineup and avoiding the proverbial sophomore slump, the Texans should be capable of winning any game, no matter how brutal the schedule is or how great the opposing quarterbacks are.
