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DJ Bien-Aime, ESPN
HOUSTON — Around this time last year, C.J. Stroud had just finished the draft process as the No. 2 pick by the Houston Texans.
It’s a process that can be taxing and one that the former Ohio State quarterback is pleased he doesn’t have to endure in Year 2.
“I was meeting every team,” Stroud said, “going through offense after offense, meeting with a new coordinator, meeting with a new head coach next week, then finally got here and everything just ramped up.”
Stroud wasn’t given the starting role either. He had to earn it. He went through camps and the preseason before he got the nod just before the season kicked off.
He would go on to lead the Texans to the AFC South title and the divisional round of the playoffs. The success earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and a trip to the Pro Bowl after a record-breaking season in which he passed for 4,108 yards and led the league in touchdown to interception ratio (23:5).
Stroud is hoping to improve, and he’s hoping a full offseason without the distraction of the draft can help do just that.
“I’m coming to the same offense, and I get to slow down and really get better at what we’re trying to get done this next year,” Stroud said. “So I’m very excited for that.”
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans is also headed into Year 2, and he is eager to see what kind of jump his franchise quarterback can make.
“With C.J., we’re very proud of his success in his first year,” Ryans said. “He came in and probably shocked a lot of people at how he played, and he played at a very high level. Now, can he pick up where he left off as he finished the year off? He had a strong year, but as a player, you’re always your toughest critic.
“Can he continue to master the same thing I’ve talked about? Those techniques and fundamentals, can he master those things to continue to lead our team in the way that he’s done it?”
Not having to go through the arduous draft process and the uncertainty of his future allowed him to use the offseason to train and bond with teammates instead of proving why teams should select him.
“I’m the leader of the whole offense, and really the team, so even the things that DeMeco has been saying just to build that foundation and fundamentals and doing the right things,” Stroud said.
One of his training sessions was used to bond with four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs shortly after Houston traded for him last month. The throwing session — that Stroud described as “great” — involved Tank Dell, John Metchie III, Diggs and others in Los Angeles.
The Diggs acquisition was just one of the big moves the Texans made this offseason, where they spent $178.5 million in guaranteed money, according to Roster Management System.
Some of their investments went into retaining players — such as tight end Dalton Schultz — but the running game could get a boost after they traded for former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon and gave the 2021 Pro Bowler a three-year, $27 million contract extension.
Despite the Texans’ passing game finishing seventh with 245.5 yards per game, the run game was one of 11 to average less than 100 yards per game at 96.9.
The biggest signing came on the other side of the ball, where they inked defensive end Danielle Hunter, coming off a career-high 16.5 sacks, to a two-year, $49 million deal. They also added former Tennessee Titans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, coming off a career-high 163 tackles, to a three-year, $34 million contract.
Infusing talented veterans around a young core is something that the organization hopes will pay off. The Texans have a young nucleus with a talented rookie class going into Year 2 and players still on rookie deals who have found ways to contribute as well.
“Really all of the rookies coming into Year 2, everything is starting to slow down, and the wheels aren’t turning so much up in your head,” Stroud said. “You’re starting to play ball.”
The Texans will start OTAs on May 20. The organized workouts will last until June 6 before the club will begin a mandatory minicamp, which is scheduled for June 11-13.
“Guys have a true offseason to dedicate and focus on themselves and them getting better,” Ryans said. “They don’t have to worry about combine or draft prep, they can truly work on the things that we’ve asked them to do.”