Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is enjoying a historically great rookie campaign, and backup quarterback Case Keenum is impressed. Very impressed.
Keenum is so dazzled by Stroud, as a matter of fact, that he thinks the youngster can be the best signal-caller to ever play the game.
“I think he’s gonna be the best of all time,” Keenum said of Stroud, via Kalyn Kahler of The Athletic. “Like, he truly has the ability to be that way. … I know, it’s very early to say that sort of stuff. But, man, he does some stuff that is just out of this world.”
Stroud just went 16-for-21 with 274 yards and three touchdowns in the Texans’ 45-14 Wild Card Round playoff win over the Cleveland Browns this past Saturday. That made Stroud the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game.
Keep in mind, the Browns had the top-ranked defense in the NFL this season.
During the regular season, Stroud made 15 starts (he missed a couple of games due to a concussion) and threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63.9 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 100.8. He also led the league by averaging 273.9 passing yards per game.
The 22-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was selected by Houston with the No. 2 overall pick of the NFL Draft last spring.
No one expected the Texans to achieve much of anything this season, but Stroud ultimately led Houston to 10 wins and a shocking AFC South division title. He clinched a playoff for the team in Week 18, when he went 20-for-26 with 264 yards and a couple of touchdowns in a win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Keenum has been in the NFL since 2013 and has played for seven different franchises, so he has seen a lot of quarterbacks. His opinion on C.J. Stroud certainly matters, even if it may be too early to seriously make those types of declarations.
The Texans’ Divisional Round playoff opponent is yet to be determined.
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