If the Houston Texans take another large leap -- as they did after improving from 3-13-1 to 10-7 from the 2022 to 2023 seasons -- one can assume C.J. Stroud went from a star to superstar.
Evidently, a leap from Stroud feels inevitable at this point. As a rookie, he posted 4,108 passing yards and 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions and the Texans completed a speedy rebuild, finding their way back into the postseason.
Not only did Stroud have an elite rookie season, but the Texans brought in even more talent around the star quarterback, capitalizing on his rookie-scale contract by footing the bill on veteran star talent -- like trading for Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills.
CBS Sports recently broke down quarterbacks on whether they're set to progress, regress or bounce back. To no surprise, Stroud was listed under most likely to improve.
"Of course, you might be wondering: How does Stroud get better than this?" CBS Sports wrote. "Well, wide receiver Tank Dell, one of Stroud's top targets, suffered a season-ending leg injury in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos. A healthier Dell plus the addition of four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs to go along with the reliable Nico Collins gives Stroud the best wide receiver trio in the NFL. That trio plus a year of experience under Stroud's belt should lead to another jump in 2024."
Evidently, having the best set of weapons in the NFL combined with natural progression from year one to year two will position Stroud to improve immensely. Also, he's going to get even more media coverage than he did in his rookie season, making his arrival to superstardom that much louder.
The Texans will be among the most exciting teams to watch in the 2024 NFL season, and Stroud's improvements will play a huge role in that.
This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.
