Inside the Texans’ locker room following a crushing playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, rookie defensive end Will Anderson Jr. was emotional and crying after abrupt end to his first NFL season.
As painful as it was for a remarkable season to be over, Anderson’s mood didn’t stay down for long.
Another boost of morale was coming from C.J. Stroud, another moment from him after manufacturing arguably the top rookie quarterback season in NFL history.
The conversation from Stroud to Anderson: “We’re good, we’re straight. We’re going to be good next year. We’re headed in the right direction.”
Anderson recounted the interaction days after the AFC divisional round road loss in the wake of a turnaround season engineered by Stroud, the frontrunner for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and NFL Coach of the Year candidate DeMeco Ryans.
Anderson’s reaction after wiping away his tears and hearing Stroud’s take on the Texans’ bright future: ‘My bad, Cap said we’re going to be good next year. I looked at it from his perspective after we talked. Just thinking about how much better we’re going to be next year. We’re heading in the right direction.”
Just like that, Stroud had transformed disappointment into hope.
That’s part of what makes him special as a quarterback, as a leader and as a person beyond delivering tight spirals and throws other quarterbacks can’t make and his recurring series of sound decisions.
“Something I’ve learned in this league is you can’t let your emotions fluctuate,” Stroud said. “I told Will, man, he’s probably the most talented player, one of the most talented players I’ve ever been around in my life. I said, ‘We’re going to be back in this moment, I can promise you that.’
“I don’t know when it’s going to be, how it’s going to be, who’s going to be on this team, but we’re going to get back. I just wanted to let him know I appreciated everything that he did for us that year. I just want to see his head up high. I just want to see him encouraged and positive.”
Those adjectives characterize the entire vibe surrounding the organization after the arrival and rapid ascent and emergence as one of the elite quarterbacks in the league regardless of age.
“In this league, everybody’s looking for that quarterback,” Ryans said. “We know how important the position is, and the resources that go into finding the right guy to lead. And over half the league has them, half don’t. So, it’s a special position, it takes a special person to play that position and we’re happy to have C.J. leading us.”
Named to the Pro Bowl as the replacement for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Stroud became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game as he surpassed Michael Vick.
“Seven is special,” wide receiver Nico Collins said. “The future is only bright. We know who our quarterback is going to be.”
Stroud set an NFL record by launching his career with 191 passes without an interception, and finished the season with 198 consecutive throws without an interception.
And Stroud joined an exclusive fraternity, joining Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only three quarterbacks in NFL history to lead the league in passing yards per contest and touchdown-to-interceptions ratio.
Not only is Stroud a prolific arm talent, he’s also careful and wise with where he throws the football.
This is only the floor, though, for Stroud. The ceiling, in his view and multiple others, is considerably higher.
Another adjective that fits Stroud’s description and mindset: hungry
“Yeah, I’ve got to do way more,” Stroud said. “I’ve got to just be me. For really just having a rookie year like I had and to be able to be mentioned with a whole bunch of greats and be playing against the greats, it’s been just a blessing.
“Really, my plan is I just want to be the best. I don’t want to be just the best rookie, the best second-year dude. I want to be the best: point-blank, period. I’m excited to get going with that.”
One year after going 3-13-1 with Davis Mills under center, the Texans were transformed under Stroud’s leadership and throwing prowess.
The Texans finished 11-8, winning their first AFC South division title and playoff game since the 2019 season. And Stroud and Ryans made history as the first rookie quarterback and head coaching tandem to win a division title.
“Man, it’s huge, man,” Stroud said. “Honestly, I’m excited to get back to work, but of course, it takes time. You can’t just rush into it. I’m really excited to see how much this team is going to grow.
“Like DeMeco said, we’ve got to find some way to get back to that moment and win that game. A lot of experience was made this year, so I’m super, super excited for the future and everything like that.”
Stroud finished the season with 4,557 yards, ranking second in NFL history among all rookies behind Andrew Luck’s 4,662 yards.
He was named the Pro Football Writers of American NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
Stroud, 22, passed for a rookie franchise-record 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, five interceptions and a passer rating of 100.8, marking the third-best passer rating by a rookie in NFL history. His passing yards rank third in NFL all-time lists among rookie quarterbacks while leading all rookies this past season in all major passing categories.
Stroud led the league in passing yards per game with 273.9 per game, while also pacing the NFL in touchdown-interception ratio.
“When you see the man he is, the player he is, the person he is, the teammate he is, it speaks volumes about him and his family,” Anderson said. “When you watch C.J. play, you don’t see a rookie on the field. When you see him walk through the building, you don’t see a rookie. When you see him interacting with people in the building, you don’t see a rookie. When you see him, you see a guy who’s about his business and wants to make everyone around him better.”
Drafted second overall, the two-time Heisman Trophy finalist from Ohio State excelled from start to finish.
His poise, accuracy, intelligence and rare arm strength and precision were on display all season.
And this is just the beginning.
“C.J., throughout the entire year, what I love most about it is the growth,” Ryans said. “It’s encouraging when you have a young guy who’s able to grow, not only in the entire season, but to see him grow and take the coaching points and grow from week to week and see a guy improve so quickly. It’s encouraging to see how much better he can get as he continues to play throughout the league.
It was a season defined by dramatic growth as the Texans finished 11-8 in Ryans’ first season, matching the combined victory total of the previous three seasons as he and Stroud turned around the organization.
When an organization has the pivotal head coach and quarterback positions figured out, $72 million in salary cap space and owns the 23rd overall pick of the first round, the future is definitely bright.
“I think this team has grown a whole lot,” wide receiver Robert Woods said. “We found out who we are as a team. We established a Texans culture and been able to implement that. You see that on the field. I know everyone is happy for where we’ve come from last year, not many wins. A full turnaround of the team and culture, that’s what we expected getting DeMeco and C.J.
“We expected a turnaround. This team has established who we are. We believe in who we are. This year is a total confidence building. Everyone in this room believes in Texans football, believes in ourselves, believes in C.J. This team is only going up.”
Stroud built great relationships with the coaching staff, including Ryans, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, and friendships throughout the roster, including rookie wide receiver Tank Dell.
He organized and paid for throwing sessions in Los Angeles and Houston. He was, simply put, the leader this football team needed.
Following a depressing 11-38-1 three-year run before Stroud came to town, the Texans are now on the upswing.
They’re a winner again after Stroud threw 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions in the regular season despite missing time due to a concussion suffered against the New York Jets.
While Stroud does plan to relax a bit and recharge, he can’t wait to get back to work at his craft.
“It takes tremendous focus, tremendous will to win,” Stroud said. “All the things that are easy to talk about but hard to do. And we did that this year.
“Even though we fell short, we put that on display. Now it’s just about bringing guys here that are with that, that have that same type of mentality, and whoever stays, we’re keeping that standard. We ain’t changing up for nobody.”
It was fitting that Stroud broke down the final huddle of the season with his teammates. He’s the Texans’ guy, the focal point of the entire organization.
“DeMeco hit it on the nail, our future is bright, but these types of losses suck,” Stroud said. “It’s tough to get embarrassed like that, but definitely I think our future is bright. Coming in, guys didn’t know what it looked like to win or the standard. I think DeMeco set that at a high level of expectation. I did the same, I hope. All in all, we won a lot of games, so I think that set a great foundation for the standard for guys coming back.
“Pressure is a privilege. I think the foundation we set is a hard one built on rock like DeMeco always talks about. I’m going to continue to work my tail off next year to make the city of Houston proud, to make my family members proud, make God proud.”
When Stroud arrived in April, he did so with the intention of turning around the fortunes of the franchise. He accomplished that goal.
The deeply religious California native has a ton of football ahead of him.
“I trusted God that he put me on the right team, with the right coaches, with the right players,” Stroud said. “All in all, it seems like that was true.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790.
Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images