During a recent "I Am Athlete" appearance, Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell shared that he feels teammate and quarterback C.J. Stroud could soon be mentioned alongside the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes as one of the position's best overall players.
"I feel like C.J. gotta keep doing what he's doing to bridge the gap between him and Mahomes," Dell explained, per Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "Not going to lie, Mahomes is special….it's for sure going to be a lot of work, but I feel like if he just keeps doing what he's doing, he's on the right path."
Stroud entered the league as the second overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and was named a team captain ahead of the opening game of his debut season. He then guided the Texans to the AFC South division title and a home playoff win over the Cleveland Browns before he officially won Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors.
According to Pro Football Reference, Stroud ended last regular season ranked first among qualified players with an average of 273.9 passing yards per game and sixth with a 100.8 passer rating. Over 15 contests, the 22-year-old passed for 23 touchdowns with only five interceptions.
Since last fall, much has been made about how Stroud excelled as a leader even before his first meaningful snap with the Texans. Dell noted that Stroud "brings a special type of swag" to a team many expect to do more than just return to the postseason.
"I for sure feel like C.J. got the opportunity to be the best quarterback in the league," Dell added during his comments. "Not me just saying that because of who he is to me but just like what I'm seeing him do each and every week. What the world sees, they're seeing exactly what we're seeing….It's like how consistent he is."
As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Texans fifth among the betting favorites at +850 odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIX. Stroud performing at a Most-Valuable-Player level through January would go a long way toward the Texans proving they were no fluke during his rookie campaign.
