C.J. Stroud Has One Weakness That Could Limit Texans' Offense

Turning the clock back to the 2024 season, it wasn't as glowing a season for Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud as it had been for his first season in the mix.

His protection wasn't tightened up, his accuracy took a dip, and ultimately saw this passing offense took a few steps back from the impressive state it once was for his 2023 campaign. It still led to an AFC South victory and a playoff win as it did for his first-year campaign, but not quite as up to par when it comes to the eye test.

Now, for 2025, the outlook is a bit different for Stroud and the Texans' offense. He's got a brand new offensive line in front of him, multiple new pass-catchers to fill in for those vacated targets, and a fresh mind at coordinator in Nick Caley from the Los Angeles Rams.

On paper, it could be exactly what Stroud needed to find that consistency he had in year one, but there might be one key weakness in his game that could lead to some bumps in the road.

Pro Football Focus' John Kosco recently dove into Stroud and the rest of the NFL's "Quarterback Kryptonites," mapping out one aspect of each signal caller's game that could be trouble in 2025. For Stroud, his factor was none other than "throwing into tight or closing windows."

"Stroud took the NFL by storm as a rookie, showing poise and flashes of elite potential. His sophomore season was a bit of a step back, lowlighted by a poor offensive line, though he was able to manage the pressure well enough," Kosco wrote. "Stroud struggled in 2024 with fitting the ball into tight or closing windows. His 27.9 PFF passing grade and 52.9% inaccurate rate on such plays both ranked 31st out of 34 quarterbacks. Windows in the NFL shrink much quicker than they do in college, and Stroud will need to dot his passes more frequently in those situations moving forward."

Despite Stroud's consistent ability to be an accurate thrower and one of the more cerebral young quarterbacks in today's game, last year wound up showing a few holes in that pinpoint accuracy when it came to making those quick, sharp throws–– sinking to a near-bottom-five quarterback in the NFL for those numbers last season.