QB C.J. Stroud wants Texans to play with confidence against the Steelers

HOUSTON — If you close your eyes and listen to Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud speak, you will have difficulty recognizing that he has only played in three NFL regular season games. His tone and vernacular when talking about the game he loved since childhood, his coaches, and his teammates will make you understand why he was named as a team captain before he took one snap.

He is humble yet ferocious. He takes time to observe his surroundings before he speaks and then controls the room with his words. He has high praise for his opponents but will let them know that he commands the same respect every time he is on the field.

“Yeah, we’re men, we aren’t laying down for nobody, and I respect everybody,” said Stroud when asked about the confident mindset he has going into games. “You don’t tuck your tail for anybody, and you play with confidence, but at the same time, you stay humble. Definitely, that’s my M.O., staying humble but having that swagger, that confidence of a killer mindset while staying humble.

“So, just as important as it is to respect the other team, it’s just as important to respect yourself and know that you are one of the best to do it in the league, and I think as a team, we’re going to prove that every week and go out and play really hard.”

Houston will face one of their most formidable opponents of the season when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town on Sunday with a stout defense that features a dynamic edge rusher in T.J. Watt, who leads the league with 6.0 sacks. His last name is familiar to Texans fans who watched his older brother wreak havoc on his opponents when he was with Houston for ten seasons.

“You have to be aware of them, but at the same time, we have to have confidence in what we’re doing,” Stroud said when asked about going up against the Steelers defensive unit that features defensive end T.J. Watt. “They have to play us, too. We’re not just going to lay down and just submit because he’s the best player. We’re really good players on this side, too. Looking forward to competing against those guys, but I’ve got to do my part, which is just playing clean.”

That confidence led Texans general manager Nick Caserio and coach DeMeco Ryans to select Stroud with the second overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. This move has paid huge dividends throughout the first three weeks of the season. The former Ohio State quarterback is the first quarterback in NFL history to have over 900 passing yards, four pass touchdowns, and zero interceptions in his first three starts. On Sunday, he helped lead the Texans to a 37-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Stroud, 21, knows that to bring the organization back to prominence, he will need the help of fellow rookies such as wide receivers Tank Dell and Xavier Hutchinson, offensive linemen Juice Scruggs and Jarrett Patterson, and linebacker Henry To’o To’o. Many of those players have been called upon in some capacity to play meaningful minutes due to the high number of injuries the team has suffered this season.

“When we first came in, we wanted to set the foundation of why they drafted us,” said Stroud about the 2023 Texans rookie class. “We all said to each other, ‘They drafted us together for a reason.’ We all play off of each other and we all eat off each other. We set that standard that we weren’t going to go anything short of success here. We’re going to bring hope to the Texans. On top of that, the guys who we kept, they’re also great players as well – it wasn’t just rookies.

“We kind of play hand-in-hand, but definitely we wanted to set a foundation of who we were and where we come from and the winning cultures because everybody that we brought in were winners in college. We wanted to bring that winning mentality.”

Story originally appeared on Texans Wire