CJ Stroud's trophy case is already looking pretty impressive.
Stroud, who won the 2023 NFL Rookie of the Year award for his stellar debut season, added a (slightly less) prestigious award to his resume this week, being elected as the 2024 Good Guy Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
Stroud made even more history with the award, being the first player in the history of the Texans organization to be selected. The award is "given to an NFL player for his qualities and professional style in helping pro football writers do their jobs."
“Stroud is the Good Guy Award winner because of his professionalism and openness with both the national and local media. He is always available during the week and after games, win or lose. He understands the media has a job to do and answers each question thoroughly,” PFWA Houston chapter co-vice president Jonathan Alexander said in an email announcement. “He is also active in the Houston community without seeking attention, recently volunteering to remove trees and clean up debris from yards in underserved communities after a storm left many residents without power for several days.”
It's a nice testament to both Stroud's willingness to be the public face of the team he plays for, which guys don't always want to be, as well as his work within the community. There will almost certainly be more important awards given to him in the years to come, but the Good Guy Award is a nice one to have in your back pocket, and the name is fun. Any time you can follow up guys like Cameron Heyward (2022) and Jason Kelce (2023), you're doing something right.
