Houston Texans: NFL Evaluators Have Become Indifferent to CJ Stroud

Houston Texans QB CJ Stroud has gone from one of the NFL’s most celebrated young quarterbacks to someone league evaluators barely discussed in ESPN’s latest quarterback rankings. Jeremy Fowler says the league isn’t necessarily convinced that Stroud can’t rebound. The feeling is closer to indifference: after two uneven seasons and a troubling playoff performance, evaluators are waiting for him to give them a reason to believe again. But Fowler also thinks the Houston Texans have a roster capable of winning the Super Bowl. Their defense can dominate without blitzing, their pass rush can overwhelm elite quarterbacks, and the offense may not need Stroud to carry the team. If Houston can establish a reliable running game, Fowler believes Stroud may only need to do “just enough.” I’ll react to Fowler’s comments, what the lack of enthusiasm around Stroud really means and whether the Texans can follow a model similar to Philadelphia—where the public may value the quarterback more highly than NFL evaluators do, but the team keeps winning. Can Stroud become one of the league’s fastest risers, or is Houston now built to win without needing elite quarterback play?