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DJ Bien-Aime, ESPN
CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio — Rain fell as the Houston Texans‘ offense struggled during its seventh training camp practice last month.
Through the first three 11-on-11 drills, the offense was sloppy and failed to pick up a first down. There were pre-snap penalties and miscommunication between quarterback C.J. Stroud and the receivers that led to incompletions. Pass protection struggled as Stroud was sacked multiple times. One sack featured defensive end Danielle Hunter quickly zooming past right tackle Tytus Howard which ended the third team session for the offensive starters.
There was one more 11-on-11 period left, but as the group walked through the soggy grass toward the sideline, a frustrated Stroud snapped, yelling at his unit. Then he grabbed a towel to wipe his hands as a coach handed him a tablet to review what had just taken place.
“I was trying to get them to go and get more urgency,” Stroud told ESPN. “I was trying to hold everyone to a standard.”
That’s a snapshot of Stroud as he attempts to build off of a promising rookie season. In Year 2 to start training camp, he’s clearly being more vocal. It’s what the coaching staff expects of him.
“He has no fear in asking the room a question, making a point to the room on specific plays or maybe having a message for practice,” offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said. “He’s been a lot more vocal in meetings, which is great. That’s what you want your quarterback to be.”
Around this time last year, the Texans were set to play their first preseason game against the New England Patriots. Stroud was in a quarterback competition with incumbent Davis Mills. He eventually won the job and went on to have a historic season — becoming the fifth rookie quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards (4,108), and led the league in touchdown to interception ratio (23 to 5). Through his rookie season, the main focus of the coaching staff for Stroud was understanding his assignment.
Now, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year is tasked with “understanding the entire picture” and making sure the offense is on the same page. Stroud has “attacked” the challenge by being more vocal.
“Everything in pre-snap from the meeting rooms, the command, calling the plays and everything is just so further along now,” coach DeMeco Ryans told ESPN. “It’s just been a seamless process of him understanding the entire picture, not just being focused on himself. … You see a lot of him getting guys lined up, putting guys in the right spot.
“Bobby Slowik has done a really great job of having him see the bigger picture.”
The Texans have tried to build around Stroud this offseason, adding more playmakers to spread the ball to. They traded for Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon and two-time All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs. In Year 1, the Texans had breakout seasons from wide receiver Nico Collins and Tank Dell en route to the 13th ranked scoring offense (22.7 points). But with the new additions, Stroud has shouldered the responsibility of integrating them.
“He’s not afraid to talk this year,” Slowik told ESPN. “I’d say he’s not afraid to make sure that everyone’s doing their job — including himself, including me, including his teammates. He’s definitely gonna make sure that everyone is putting in the work and doing what they need to do for us to be able to go out and execute.”
Stroud has stayed after practice to explain how he wants certain routes run and goes through the route tree to improve the chemistry. He’ll be one of the last to leave the field as he takes snaps with center Juice Scruggs to improve the exchange while practicing his footwork for theoretical pre-snap motions or play-action passes.
“Our offense is about the little details and motions and all types of nuances that we put on base layered stuff,” Stroud said. “It’s just about owning it and trying to do the best you can on leading the guys around you.”
To hone in on the small details off the field, Stroud is more vocal in offensive meetings by asking questions that lead to discussion about how to attack defenses. He’s quick to interject ideas on how the tight ends and receivers should run a route if they get a specific coverage.
Fellow teammates have loved how vocal he’s become. Tight end Dalton Schultz even admitted that he appreciates how he called them out in that late July practice in the rain.
“He’s kind of been challenged to be more vocal and to be more demanding,” Schultz told ESPN. “I think that was like a step in that direction for him. When you’re one of the great quarterbacks in the league, dudes respect the hell out of you. If you start ripping into some guys, dudes are gonna listen to what you got to say and respect what you want.”
Last year, Stroud went through camp simply trying to understand the assignment and get acclimated to the NFL. Come Friday, his preparation as the vocal leader will be on the forefront as he makes his preseason debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7 p.m. ET, NFL Network).
