Last season did not end the way Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud would have liked it. His struggles in the postseason with five total fumbles — losing two — and five interceptions caused some to question whether Stroud should really be the quarterback of the future for the Texans.
But head coach DeMeco Ryans is still confident in Stroud and wanted to get him some preseason action before the first regular-season game against the Buffalo Bills.
“I wanted to see him come out, get some live reps with the first offensive line, see him get in rhythm, have some efficient plays,” Ryans said. “He did exactly what we expected him to do. That's the reason you just go get those live reps for him so that it's not the first time that they're rolling out versus Buffalo.”
Stroud’s postseason struggles were a little surprising last year. Before last season, he had only thrown one interception and fumbled twice in the postseason. Even during the regular season, Stroud had not lost a single fumble and only had eight interceptions through 14 games.
His confidence just was not there in the postseason and it ultimately derailed Houston’s chances of going to the Super Bowl last year.
The Texans are hoping that, between the offseason, OTAs and training camp, plus being able to get his feet wet in training camp, the former No. 2 overall pick's confidence will be much higher this season and in the postseason. They do not have an easy path to get back to the playoffs with their opener against the Bills, but their defense seems to have gotten better this offseason and should help Houston get back in the playoffs and maybe finally reach the AFC Championship.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: DeMeco Ryans explains his decision to start Texans QB CJ Stroud in Raiders preseason game
Leave a Comment