C.J. Stroud Leads List of NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Candidates

Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is well on his way to establishing himself as the top candidate for the 2023 National Football League (NFL) Offensive Rookie of The Year and as an upper-echelon QB.

It's still early, but Stroud shows he's more than capable of being a franchise quarterback. Last season, the Texans had a 3-13-1 record. Stroud's performances, including a game-winning touchdown pass on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have led the Texans to 4-4, second in the AFC South. Turning the Texans from languishing laughingstock to a team with a legit chance of making the playoffs in eight games is nearly a dream scenario for the franchise.

Stroud is pleased, but isn't anywhere near settling with nine games left in the season.

"It's a big-time win for us, and as you see, November and December is when you want to be playing your best ball," Stroud told reporters after the win. "So now, we just want to upscale and uptrend and trailblaze into the playoffs and hopefully get a chance to win a division."

The Texans picked Stroud second in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Ohio State after the Carolina Panthers selected Heisman Trophy Winner Bryce Young from Alabama with the first pick.

Stroud is seventh among NFL quarterbacks in passing yards (2270) and tied for seventh in touchdown passes at 14. As impressive is his ability to take care of the football, with just one interception this season, he has the fewest among any quarterback with at least 100 attempts.

According to FanDuel's odds on Monday, Stroud is the leading candidate for the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year at -550 with Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua second at +750. Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (+1500), Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (+2400), and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (+3500) round out the top-5 rookies with the best odds.

Stroud's best game so far was Sunday's record-breaking output against Tampa. He threw for 470 yards and completed 30 of his 42 passing attempts for five touchdowns, setting the rookie record for passing yards in a game. It was a bounce-back game for Stroud after throwing for 140 yards and no touchdowns the previous week in a loss against Young and the Carolina Panthers.

Stroud got the ball with less than a minute left after Tampa took a late lead on a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass. The rookie led the Texans down the field on a six-play 75-yard drive in 40 seconds, culminating in the 15-yard touchdown to wide receiver Tank Dell.

"It's a gutsy performance from him," head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters after Sunday's game. "It wasn't all clean, but he gutted it out. He was tough in the pocket, made some plays, made some big-time throws for us, and the receivers, they were reliable for him. They made those catches, made tough catches, made big plays for us, so it was all those guys working together. But C.J., it was a very gutsy performance by him."

Stroud is the third player in NFL history with at least 470 yards, five TDs, and no interceptions in a single contest. Pro Football Hall of Famer Y.A. Tittle and two-time Super Bowl Champion former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger are the other two to accomplish the feat.

At his current pace, Stroud has a chance to break Andrew Luck's rookie record for passing yards in a season. Luck had 4,374 yards during his 16-game rookie season for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. Stroud would break that record in his 16th game at the current pace, but has the added bonus of a 17th game, adopted by the league before the 2021 season.

Houston is in second place in the AFC South behind the 6-2 Jacksonville Jaguars. Next up for the Texans is a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are 5-3 and on a four-game winning streak following Sunday's win against the Buffalo Bills.