Why C.J. Stroud being 'back' for Texans is real and not a fluke

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The 2026 season for the Houston Texans so far, through four weeks, has been a disaster. The team is 0-4 and is well behind in the hunt for the NFL playoffs. It's going to take a miracle to make up this ground.

Their Week 5 matchup against the Tennessee Titans is a good opportunity to get things right. Fortunately, the Texans are getting production from one player that they might not have expected: C.J. Stroud looks like a high-quality NFL QB.

ESPN's Ben Solak believes that Stroud is "back" and is the version that analysts and fans fell in love with during his rookie season. But is this a fluke, or is Stroud for real? Solak believes in Stroud, emphatically so.

C.J. Stroud might finally be back for Texans

"I think ... C.J. Stroud is back," Solak writes. "... This is the Stroud I remember -- an exciting blend of clean pocket management and timing alongside creativity and feel."

While Stroud might not be in the MVP conversation or anything, and his Texans team is 0-4, there is a lot to like about what Stroud has done this season.

This year, he has a 54.6 QBR, 19th in the NFL. That's nothing special, but with the context of a massively depleted WR room for half the season so far, it's not that terrible.

He has 1,141 passing yards (6th in the NFL) and five passing touchdowns, tied for 19th in the league. Importantly, he's thrown zero interceptions so far.

One of the major issues for Stroud last season, especially at the end of the year, was turnovers. The New England Patriots game was a disaster. But now, he looks to have turned the corner.

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Protecting the ball while still racking up passing yards is a good sign for Stroud, and the only thing left is to start translating that into wins.

The defense does need to be better, especially considering all of the hype about this unit coming into the year. But so far, so good for Stroud.

Solak believes Stroud is "back" to his 2023 rookie season self, and considering how great he's played this year, even despite the 0-4 record, it's hard not to start believing in Stroud again.

If he can continue playing at this high of a level all season long, the Texans might come to regret not signing him to a long-term contract extension before the beginning of 2026, as he could be eyeing a deal north of $55 million per-year next offseason.