By now it’s no secret that after taking the NFL by storm and putting together one of the league’s finest rookie campaigns in 2023, Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud faced a little more hardship in his second professional season. Still, the Texans won 10 games for the second consecutive season, went back-to-back as division champions, and were one of the final four teams standing in the AFC once again.
At the conclusion of his rookie year, it didn’t take long for Stroud to be anointed as one of the guys in the NFL. He finished 20th in the 2024 NFL Top 100 rankings, ahead of more well-established quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert and Aaron Rodgers. But now after a minor backslide in year two, with the 2025 season approaching, it’s worth wondering where the rest of the NFL stands on Stroud.
On Monday August 11, fans were provided with an answer:
Stroud ends up falling 19 spots in the rankings heading into to the 2025 season. Doing some quick calculations, it’s looking like Stroud will end up behind reigning league MVP Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, 2024 Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels, and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts in the 2025 rankings.
With the exception of Daniels, who will receive the same enthusiastic optimism as Stroud did after his rookie season, all of those names are justified to be ahead of the Texans quarterback. But still, one question remains… should CJ Stroud should’ve been penalized for a deteriorating situation in Houston?
Was CJ Stroud Actually Worse in 2024, or Was His Situation?
Comparing the numbers from Stroud’s rookie year to his second year in the NFL, there’s no way around it, there was a dip. His touchdowns, yards, completion percentage, passer rating and passing success rate all decreased from one year to the next. Meanwhile, his interceptions and throw aways increased.
But dig deeper, and there are some numbers that prove that Stroud’s struggles may have had more to do with his supporting cast than we’re realizing. Stroud was sacked 14 more times in 2024 than he was in 2023, and pressured 51 more times. His pass-catchers dropped 8 more balls in 2024 than they did the season prior. And then there’s this important nugget… the Texans fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik at the conclusion of the season.
If there weren’t fundamental issues with Slowik’s approach, the Texans would’ve retained their OC who was getting head coaching buzz after the 2023 season. Additionally, Houston also rebuilt its offensive line after the group last year had Stroud running for his life more often than any quarterback not named Caleb Williams.
These are factors that aren’t CJ Stroud’s fault, but in the end, Stroud is the one carrying this burden on his shoulders, developing bad habits, and seeing his perception around the league get dinged ever-so-slightly.
Other Houston Texans in the 2025 NFL Top 100
At the time of this writing, the league has only announce numbers 100-39, so there’s a possibility that more Texans will eventually fill out this list, but right now, Stroud is joined by teammates Will Anderson (#46) and Joe Mixon (#58).
Heading into the summer, most analysts would’ve likely anticipated Stroud, Anderson and Mixon to be joined by wide receiver Nico Collins and cornerback Derek Stingley in the Top 100. But strangely, Collins didn’t make the Top 100 in 2024, even after finishing 8th in the league in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Like Stroud, Collins saw his numbers dip in 2024, so it’s looking like he’ll miss out on the list for the second consecutive year.
However, it’s unlikely that Stingley will get snubbed. The Texans cornerback made his first All-Pro team in 2024, and he received votes for Defensive Player of the Year after finishing the season with 54 tackles, 5 interceptions and a stingy 47.1 completion percentage on 85 passes thrown his way.
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