In what was supposed to be a developmental year for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, turned out to be much more. The second overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft from The Ohio State University has exceeded expectations tenfold. The Houston Texans franchise, struggling in recent years and searching for stability at the quarterback position after Deshaun Watson’s departure, found new direction and leadership with the arrival of rookie 22-year-old quarterback C.J. Stroud and head coach DeMeco Ryans.

Slam Dunk Hires:

DeMeco Ryans & OC Bobby Slowik 

DeMeco Ryans was named the next head coach of the Houston Texans on January 31, 2023. Ryans, a former player drafted by the Texans in 2006 in the second-round, experienced a bittersweet homecoming for both parties involved. While there have been questionable decisions by the ownership in the last three years, the hiring of Ryans and his staff has proven to be extremely beneficial.

After Ryans was hired, he set his sights on building an all-pro staff, just like the player he was, and it has worked thus far in the season. Sitting with a 7-5 record and one game out of first place in the AFC South, the Texans are a team who have a lot of things to be thankful for. One individual is offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who has been instrumental in the growth of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Slowik comes from the Mike and Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. He had stops at the then Washington Redskins (2011-2013) and the remainder of his career with the San Francisco 49ers (2017-2022).

When the Texans began searching for their new leader, Ryans mentioned Slowik and his abilities as a potential offensive coordinator. He spent the previous year as San Francisco’s passing game coordinator. Both Slowik and Ryans met in San Francisco where Ryans was the defensive coordinator. The rest is history as Slowik’s development of rookie sensation C.J. Stroud has proven that he can build an offense around the playmakers they have (Tank Dell, Noah Brown, Nico Collins, Dalton Schultz, etc.) and they can now register victories once again.

Rookie Sensation: C.J. Stroud:  

Stroud comes from The Ohio State University where he complied a 21-4 record and threw 85 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions. His ability to be a dual-threat quarterback has helped him at times at Ohio State and so far in the NFL, he has surpassed his collegiate rushing stats, which is a good sign.

There were questions that the coaching staff at Ohio State under-utilized his running abilities, and that cost them several key matches over his short Buckeyes tenure. The biggest difference maker is that Slowik has allowed Stroud to be himself and has not hindered his skills.

So far in 2023, Stroud has been breaking NFL rookie records and just shredding defenses. The Texans have improved drastically from a season ago where they only won a total of three games. While being a top prospect in the draft, many analysts believed it wouldn’t be until the 2024 season that the statistics and the wins would come. I would go as far as to say that without Ryans and Slowik in the key positions that they are, C.J. Stroud would not be so far ahead of the game, just 12 games into his NFL career.

Stats as of 12/8/2023: 

Completions: 265

Attempts: 418

CMP %: 63.4%

Yards: 3,540

Touchdowns: 20

Interceptions: 5

Passer Rating: 101.2

Looking at the Sensational Rise: 

Let us take a look at the Stroud’s sensational rise through the lens of social media.

NFL Rookie Record: Passing Yards: 

CJ STROUD.

470 PASSING YARDS (NFL rookie record)
5 TOUCHDOWNS
GAME-WINNING DRIVE WITH 46 SECONDS LEFT. pic.twitter.com/aFJY6eEr1B

— NFL (@NFL) November 5, 2023

Pro-Bowl Favorite: 

The leading vote getters for the 2024 #ProBowlGames 👀

Make your #ProBowlVote now: https://t.co/mbPj08HEnW pic.twitter.com/xXcHi4ZqMy

— NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2023

Current NFL Passing Yard Leader: 

The rookie has secured the No. 1 spot 👏 pic.twitter.com/Kyz8RyU4D5

— NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2023

Wrap Up: Stroud’s Ahead of the Game: 

There is a good chance that without Bobby Slowik and his Shanahan principles, C.J. Stroud would be in a similar boat as 2023 first-round draft selection Bryce Young. Young’s situation is very poor with the firing of his head coach, Frank Reich, along with a multitude of offensive coordinators. There is no consistency and that is something that a quarterback in the NFL needs, especially a rookie nonetheless.

Ultimately, the Texans got the two most important pieces for the longevity of the team – a superstar offensive signal-caller in C.J. Stroud and their leader of the organization – DeMeco Ryans. Coach Slowik could be leaving after the season to become a head coach in the league, but one thing will not be changing anytime soon – the head coach and quarterback situation.