C.J. Stroud, Texans ‘true football junkie’, ‘playing pretty well’ in push for QB1 status: ‘I want to earn everything’

HOUSTON – C.J. Stroud patiently waited in the pocket Sunday morning, giving rookie wide receiver Tank Dell time to operate as he cut inside before bolting outside into the clear.

The timing was pinpoint, and so was the accuracy as the Texans’ rookie quarterback delivered a strike to Dell for a completion.

It was another example of how the second overall pick of the draft and two-time Heisman Trophy finalist is progressing as he competes with veteran Davis Mills for the starting job. Before Stroud ascends to QB1 status -- he and Mills are currently rotating with the first-team offense -- he and the Texans have a shared vision of him proving he’s absolutely deserving and ready for the high-profile assignment of leading the team.

“It’s been very open conversations, very transparent,” Stroud said. “I don’t want anything given to me. I want to earn everything.”

Signed to a four-year, $36.3 million contract that includes a $23.3 million signing bonus all paid upfront, Stroud is off to a fast start at training camp.

Stroud has displayed poise, accuracy, and a growing knowledge of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s playbook.

What has stood out to Texans coach DeMeco Ryans more than anything is how passionate Stroud is about learning and his hungry approach to football. Those are rare qualities combined with Stroud’s obvious talent as a strong-armed former Ohio State star.

“C.J., the thing that has impressed me the most is his dedication to being as best as he can possibly be,” Ryans said. “What you see about C.J., the work and the preparation that he does when he’s not here. He’s a true football junkie, loves football, always watching football, always asking for extra cutups from our coaches.

“I’m just impressed with the mental part of him and just how much he loves the game of football. When your guy has that much love for the game of football, he has no chance but to continue to get better and improve. He’s just continuing to keep his head down and just grind.”

While Stroud plies his trade, throwing short, deep, and intermediate passes to players on the first-team and second-team offense, Mills has had a few interceptions. He was picked off by cornerback Steven Nelson during the first few days of training camp and intercepted Sunday by linebacker Blake Cashman.

Stroud hasn’t been perfect. Sometimes, he holds the football too long or doesn’t read the coverage adeptly. Mostly, though, it’s been a steady arc of improvement.

“I thought I’ve been playing pretty well, just trying to build consistency and chemistry with my teammates, and just try to be a great leader,” Stroud said. “So, those are things I’ve been working on, and I feel like I’ve done a decent job trying to get better every day.”

What Stroud hasn’t done is press. He wasn’t immediately named the starting quarterback the way that the Carolina Panthers did with top overall pick Bryce Young. If that bothers Stroud, it’s not evident in his words or body language. If anything, he’s exactly on the same page with the Texans’ coaching staff. The goal: get him ready to start on the road in the first game of the regular season against the Baltimore Ravens.

“I’m happy for him, but his situation is his situation, and my situation is mine,” Stroud said. “So, I know that I’ve got to work on my end and do whatever I’ve got to do to make this team better. It’s not about the starter (or) who’s not the starter, it’s about getting better for Week 1 against Baltimore.”

Stroud organized a workout with Texans receivers and tight ends, including Dell and Dalton Schultz, in Los Angeles in July. He also had throwing sessions with the receivers and Mills at the University of Houston indoor facility this summer after the minicamp.

Mills has had his moments in practice sessions, but through two seasons as the starter, the former third-round draft pick from Stanford has a 5-19-1 record. He has passed for 5,782 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions for an 83.3 passer rating.

“We have competitions at all 22 positions,” Mills said. “Offense, defense and even going forward to special teams as well. Every single day, you’re coming in and putting your best foot forward and being the best player you can be, making yourself better and making everybody in your room better.”

Each step is important. The Texans want Stroud to continue to absorb the knowledge of the playbook and be able to adapt on the fly. Ultimately, it’s how he performs in preseason games that will matter the most.

There haven’t been concerns that anything is too big for Stroud.

“With C.J, just from the command of the huddle, that’s the start of it all,” Ryans said. “With college players now, a lot of it is looking to the sideline and they see a signal or a picture and that’s their play. But here, we’re asking them to operate from a huddle, which is new. Get in and make play calls, play calls can be long or lengthy sometimes and there’s a lot of different terminology there that you have to learn.

“So that, you just have to start off right. So, get in the command of the play call, command of the huddle. Seeing him grow in that area has been really good. With the playbook, it hasn’t been an issue. He knows the reads, knows the progressions, and where he should go. He’s making the proper decisions with the ball, so the playbook is not an issue at all.”

Stroud was a two-year starter for Ohio State, where he threw for 8,123 yards with 85 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions as the Buckeyes went 21-4. His 85 touchdowns over two seasons broke a Big Ten record held by Drew Brees.

Before the Rancho Cucamonga native became the Buckeyes’ starter, he had to beat out several blue-chip recruits. That included the current University of Texas starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, who transferred from Ohio State. Two years ago, Stroud, a former Elite 11 standout who competed against Young in high school, put himself on the map with NFL scouts with his performance at Ohio State.

“I think I was a boy then, trying to be a young man, and now I am a young man trying to be a man’s man,” Stroud said. “So, I think I’ve stepped in here, and I think I’ve gained the respect of the team just being myself. I haven’t tried anything extra or done anything, and there are some similarities at Ohio State, and some with the Texans now. But, honestly, I think ultimately I’m just being myself, and I think everyone’s gravitated towards that, and I think that’s even more important than hopping on the field, just being a leader.”

Stroud rides to practice with safety Jalen Pitre, whom he quizzes frequently about coverages. The secondary is one of the most talented parts of the team, so Stroud’s interactions and competition with Pitre, Jimmie Ward, Steven Nelson, and Derek Stingley Jr. are critical.

“It’s been amazing,” Stroud said. “Me and Pitre, we ride to practice together early in the morning, probably two of the first people in the building, and we’re just talking mess from the start to the end, so he does a good job of telling me what he sees in me, and I tell him what I see. They do a good job, they fly around back there.

“Him and ‘1′ [Ward], so I definitely appreciate them for just being honest and communicating with me. Things they see I can do better at, and then of course competing like that. Steven Nelson has been a big brother to me. He took me under his wing and showed me some things, and then of course ‘D-Sting’ has definitely been improving every day and looks really good out there.”

Stroud’s timing with Dell, a third-round draft pick from the University of Houston, is obvious. They became friends at the NFL scouting combine and Stroud put in a word with the Texans to lobby them to draft Dell.

“Me and Tank of course already had a connection,” Stroud said. “We talked at the combine, and then of course we take him, and from then I think we were the first people to throw together, and we’ve just been building ever since then.”

Stroud has been getting acclimated to the city of Houston, including the heat.

He’s enjoying the city, and his family, including his mother, have attended Texans practices. They were there Sunday to support him.

“The one thing that sticks out to me is the people,” Stroud said. “The people are very welcoming, very nice. The food is amazing. I’ve got to chill on some of the food, because, you know, I’ve got to maintain my nutrition.”

As good as the food is in Houston, Stroud has to be disciplined.

“I love soul food,” Stroud said. “So, I’ve got to chill on the fried food. And I love oxtails, so I’ve got to chill on the oxtails, but I haven’t had it too much.”

For Stroud, it’s all about taking steps every single day. As long as he’s getting better and not repeating mistakes, he’s happy.

“My approach every day, man, is picking one or two things and just working on that, and then of course as a whole just trying to get everybody around me better,” Stroud said. “I think that’s my main job. It’s kind of like being a point guard in basketball, get everybody around me better. So that’s been my goal, and I definitely feel like I’ve done a decent job, but of course, there’s going to be a lot of work to be done.”

Stroud has made it a habit since college to put his goals down on paper. It’s an exercise that works for him.

“Yeah. I have goals written down,” Stroud said. “I did in college, and I’ll do it now, but I have a lot of things that I put down. Really small goals. I think the more you can accomplish small goals in your life, the big ones become kind of natural and they come as you get the small ones checked off.

“Like, I had the Heisman finalist as a goal in college, and I had a lot of different subset goals to get to that moment, and by the glory of God, I was able to do that. I’m not sure if that’s how it works in the league, but I’m going to try it and see if it works for me, and if not, then I’m going to do something else. I just try to set some goals and work harder and harder every day to get those.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com