Sometimes it’s shocking how quickly things can change in the National Football League. Consider, only one year ago, there were very few combinations of quarterback and offensive coordinator who looked to have a higher upside than Houston Texans second-year star CJ Stroud and Bobby Slowik.
It only took one season for things to change in Houston. Seemingly quicker than you could say Texas Tatted on my arm, Houston on my back in your best Slim Thug impression, Slowik had lost his job and Stroud’s standing around the league was suddenly in question. But any Stroud panic in NFL circles feels premature, and accordingly, the Texans opted to change the scenery around their franchise quarterback in the offseason.
Slowik was replaced by Sean McVay disciple Nick Caley, and an offensive line that surrendered the third-most sacks in the league in 2024 was overhauled in a series of moves, most notably, the trade of Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders. But even with the changes along the offensive line, Stroud seems to believe it’s the changes at play-caller and in scheme that will pay the biggest dividends in 2025, allowing the Texans offense to get back on track.
“I think [the scheme] had a lot to do with it last year,” Stroud said during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, responding to a question yelled at him by Stephen A. Smith. “We have to be able to get rid of the ball, move the pocket; help those guys out. Everything can’t just be drop back, pass. We need play-action, that’s running the ball, there’s ways we can help those guys out, and by me, I’ve got to do a better job of getting the ball out when it’s necessary. It’s not just on them, it’s on me as well.”
Stroud did go out of his way to mention that he likes his young, hungry and versatile offensive line, and whether that can be considered a shot at Laremy Tunsil is for you to decide. But what’s clear is that the relationship with Bobby Slowik had run its course, and by the end of the season — even with a second straight AFC South title — it was beyond repair.
What Will Texans Offense Look Like Under Nick Caley?
Stroud called for the need for more play-action in Houston’s offense, and under Nick Caley, it’s reasonable to believe that the Texans play-action rate should tick up so long as Caley has been influenced by Sean McVay during his time with the Los Angeles Rams. Per Wyatt Miller of TheRams.com, LA had the second-highest play-action rate (30.7%) and pre-snap motion rate (74.4%) in the league in 2024. It’s been a McVay staple ever since he arrived in Hollywood.
Conversely, the Texans ranked in the top ten in play-action frequency as well, but they weren’t nearly as successful on those plays as the Rams were in 2024. The biggest problem with Slowik seemed to be that defenses caught on to what he was trying to do, and he was never able to adjust. ‘Predictable’ was the buzzword thrown around in Houston after his departure, whether it be in play design, pass protection or personnel usage.
Nick Caley has made it clear that he’ll be crafting his offense to suit his players, and that CJ Stroud would have more responsibility on his shoulders this year than in each of the previous two seasons. Slowik came from San Francisco, where the common critique of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has been that his offense doesn’t allow for much freedom for the quarterback. That shouldn’t be the case for someone like CJ Stroud. He’s capable of making his own reads and operating off-schedule, and Caley will likely empower him to do just that.
The Texans couldn’t afford to let the Bobby Slowik experiment play out for another season. A championship-caliber defense is in place already in Houston, and the Texans need to squeeze all they can out of this offense while Stroud is still on his rookie deal.
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