C.J. Stroud is officially making his NFL preseason debut this Thursday. The rookie quarterback will start for the Houston Texans in their first preseason game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium, according to head coach DeMeco Ryans.
The game will kick off on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is currently competing with Davis Mills for the starting job this season.
So far in training camp and team activities, Stroud is getting the majority of first-team reps, so his chances of becoming the starter appear high. Stroud and Mills split first-team reps the first week of camp, but it’s been the rookie getting most of the opportunities since then.
Ryans has high praise for how Stroud has transitioned to the team, saying, “With C.J., what I’ve seen is he’s definitely made adjustments. He’s getting the ball out quick, he’s making the proper reads.”
Star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil also likes what he sees so far in Stroud, saying he “handles himself well” and has great leadership skills.
“How I describe C.J.: dawg,” Tunsil said. “He’s a straight dawg. He comes in there ready to work, he handles the huddle perfectly and he goes out there and balls, man. You’ve got to appreciate that, especially in a young quarterback like C.J.”
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The Texans, who have struggled with the quarterback position in recent years, are hoping they found their long-term guy in Stroud.
The 23-year-old comes out of Ohio State, where he broke the Rose Bowl and school record with 573 yards thrown in the game (with six touchdowns) and was fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
In 2022, he played in and started 13 games, finishing with an 11-2 record, bringing his college record to 21-4. Last season, he had 258 completions, with a 66.3 completion percentage, 3,688 passing yards, 41 touchdowns, six interceptions and 74 rushing yards on 35 carries.
In total at Ohio State, he had 575 completions with a 69.3 completion percentage, 85 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and one rushing touchdown. He is the highest drafted quarterback in school history.
