A STAR IS BORN Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud looking to continue surprising ascension against stout Ravens defense
C.J. Stroud had one of the best quarterback playoff debuts ever.
Now, he will look to have similar success against the same Ravens team he faced in his NFL debut.
But on Saturday, the stakes will be much higher in the AFC Divisional Round.
“At that point, we really weren’t identified as who we are now,” Stroud said. “We have grown in a lot of aspects. A lot more experienced up front now, offensively, defensively and special teams.
“I think we’ve grown in a lot of places.”
Most rookie quarterbacks tend to struggle when entering the league. But the 2023 second overall pick is unlike most players after recording arguably the best rookie season any
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quarterback has ever had.
Stroud passed for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and had just five interceptions. He is the fifth rookie to finish with over 4,000 passing yards (Andrew Luck, Jameis Winston, Cam Newton, and Justin Herbert). But Stroud managed to do something none of those other players could do, win a playoff game during his rookie season.
Coming into the 2023 season, many expected the Texans to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. But with the help of Stroud, the Texans improved their record from 3-13-1 in 2022 to 10-7 and won their first AFC South division title since 2019.
If Stroud wasn’t on his way to NFL stardom before the Texans’ 45-14 wild-card game rout against the Browns, he certainly is now. All he did was finish 16-for-21 for 274 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions, and completed 76.2% of his passes against the top defense in the NFL.
Stroud was also the fifth rookie quarterback to throw three touchdown passes in a playoff game. His 157.2 quarterback rating against the Browns was the highest for any rookie quarterback ever.
At 22 years and 102 days old, Stroud became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game, surpassing Michael Vick, who was 22 and 192 days old when the Falcons upset the Packers in 2002.
“C.J., where his growth has shown the most to me is his calm and confidence,” Texans coach Demeco Ryans said. “Looking back at the Ravens game, he made some big-time plays for us as well.
“He’s been the same player, but I think just his demeanor and how he’s grown as a leader has
bullpen is now his priority, but he wouldn’t say. The Yankees have been linked to a handful of free agent relievers, including Hector Neris, Robert Stephenson, Wandy Peralta and Keynan Middleton. The last two pitched for the Yanks in 2023.
“We’re going to be open-minded every step of the way between now and pencils down on July 31,” Cashman said, referring to the trade deadline while speaking in general terms about his roster.
Stanton looking good: After calling out Giancarlo Stanton’s injury
history earlier this offseason, Cashman had nothing but positive things to say about the slugger on Thursday.
A recently-circulated picture of Stanton showed off a much leaner physique, something Aaron Boone said to expect during the Winter Meetings. The image caught the attention of Yankee fans, as well as Cashman.
“He’s in a really good place between his diet, between his offseason conditioning,” Cashman said. “The picture that you saw represents the effort he’s got behind it. And it’s not that he hasn’t provided effort in the past. I’ll let him articulate when he gets to camp what his program and his
regimen have been this winter, but I think the picture represents a different tact of how he’s trying to go about it to find higher ground.”
Fifth rotation spot settled? Stroman is joining a projected rotation that includes Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt. Schmidt has the least experience of the bunch. After being a full-time big league starter for the first time in 2023, he recorded a 4.64 ERA. However, he had stretches where he was far better than that, particularly in the middle of the season after a terrible start.
Asked if the fifth spot in the rotation is Schmidt’s to lose — barring injuries and/or additions — Cashman
seemed to endorse that idea.
“I was really proud of the season he had last year,” Cashman said. “Looking forward to running him back out there in 2024. He’s earned the right, and hopefully, he continues to take even further steps forward. I think he’s got a high ceiling.”
More updates: When asked about Rodón, Cashman said that the lefty is already in Tampa, as he reported early voluntarily. “Looks really good,” Cashman said of Rodón, who endured a disastrous, injury-riddled debut season in the Bronx last year. “Getting after it.”
He added that Rodón is in more of a “collaborative state” with the organization than he was this
time last year, as his free agency prevented him from enjoying a full offseason with the Yankees and their staff. Blake said something similar earlier this offseason.
Cashman said that Anthony Rizzo still “feels great” and that “the doctors have told us he’s 100 percent clear [and] that the type of concussion he had, once he’s passed it, will not return.”
Cashman also said that the “summertime” is still the target for Jasson Domínguez’s return from UCL surgery. Back in December, Boone said that he hoped the outfielder would be back “sooner rather than later” when asked about a return between June and August.