When No. 7 officially returned to Texans practice on Wednesday afternoon, it was a welcome sight to see him trot onto the field.
“Having C.J. back at practice today is encouraging,” remarked Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. “It was encouraging to see him.”
In the final minutes of the Texans’ Week 14 loss to the Jets, Stroud sustained a concussion. The rookie superstar hasn’t practiced or played on the field for the Texans since that injury.
Stroud began attending facility meetings at the end of last week, indicating that he was making progress. According to Ryans, Stroud is currently in stage four of the NFL’s concussion protocol. He still needs to pass one more phase before he can return to the field.
The Texans are hoping to have Stroud back for their New Years Eve showdown with the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium on Sunday in a pivotal game in the race for a playoff spot.
“You’re just looking for efficiency, just being able to command the huddle,” Ryans said about what they will be looking for from Stroud when he returns. “Being efficient with the plays that we’re asking him to run. Just looking for him to be comfortable in the moment. The main thing is you want to keep the defenders off of him as much as possible.
“We just have to make sure we’re protecting him, make sure we’re playing efficient and make sure we’re just pressing forward moving the football.”
The Houston Texans held practice on Wednesday, December 27, 2023 in preparation for the Week 17 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
The Texans went 1-1 while Stroud was out with his concussion. Houston is still in the hunt for the AFC South Divisional title or AFC Wild Card spot with games against the Titans and the Colts left on the regular season docket.
Despite missing the past two weeks due to his concussion, Stroud enters Week 17 still ranked amongst the best quarterbacks in the league.
With his 3,631 passing yards, Stroud ranks 10th in the NFL among quarterbacks in that category. That mark is top amongst rookie quarterbacks – Carolina’s Bryce Young ranks 20th with 2,671 yards.
In other categories, Stroud ranks 4th in passing yards per game (279.3) and 11th in touchdown passes (20) in the NFL amongst all quarterbacks.
For Ryans and company, the bottom line is they are happy Stroud is getting back in the saddle.
“I think it just lifts everybody’s spirits to see him back and doing well and still progressing in the right direction,” Ryans said. “Happy about that.”
