C.J. Stroud is lighting the NFL on fire and it's burning rookie QBs
There's zero room to argue that what C.J. Stroud is doing with the Houston Texans is anything but special.It's so special, in fact, it's making his fellow rookie counterparts look bad in the process.Like, really bad. If the season ended right now, Stroud and the Texans would be in the playoffs, which is absolutely crazy […]
There's zero room to argue that what C.J. Stroud is doing with the Houston Texans is anything but special.
It's so special, in fact, it's making his fellow rookie counterparts look bad in the process.
Like, really bad.
If the season ended right now, Stroud and the Texans would be in the playoffs, which is absolutely crazy to think about. Not even the most diehard of Texans fans thought the team would be here, at this point in the season. And the overwhelming majority of the success is directly tied to Stroud's play.
Stroud has thrown for 2,626 yards along with 15 touchdowns and two interceptions in 2023. The rest of rookie quarterbacks, that have at least one start, have combined to throw for 4,923 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions. Those numbers are distributed among nine different quarterbacks, as well.
It's not just numbers, either. Stroud is miles ahead when it comes to understanding the nuances of the quarterback position, offensive scheme, and on-field processing.
Stroud's success has zero bearing on what happens with the other rookie quarterbacks taken in the 2023 NFL Draft
The former Buckeye looks 100% legit – like a franchise quarterback that will have the Texans competing for years to come. And since the rest of the rookie QB class hasn't been able to even hold court. As a result, many are thinking any team that drafted a QB in the 2023 draft missed out on a franchise-changing player.
The good news? That's nowhere near the case.
Stroud is doing historical things – accomplishments that are rare for the overwhelming majority of rookie quarterbacks, to begin with. He's thrown for the third-most passing yards, the sixth-most touchdowns, and he's tied for the second-fewest INTs thrown during a rookie's first nine games of their inaugural season. His ANY/A of 7.93 is second-best, behind only Dak Prescott's mark of 8.35 back in 2016.
In those specific categories and in no specific order, Stroud has bested names like Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Joe Burrow, Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger, and many other greats.
That doesn't happen often, at all. It's unfair to hold the other rookie QBs to this standard, especially when taking into account all of the individual situations each player is dealing with.
The Panthers are a hot mess that look to have some serious internal problems when it comes to the coaching staff. Not even a combination of Michael Vick, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Dan Marino and Warren Moon could have success behind the Titans offensive line. Outside of Anthony Richardson, none of the other guys were even supposed to start in 2023.
So, it's a bad process to hold these guys to the standard Stroud has set. Just because they aren't lighting the NFL on fire doesn't mean they can't be franchise cornerstones in the future. Hell, it doesn't even mean they'll be unable to reach solid starter status.
Take a deep breath and let it all play out. And if things stay the same over the next few years, then we can give Stroud even more flowers.
And throw even more dirt on the other teams.
