How Texans' DeMeco Ryans wants C.J. Stroud to respond to playoff flop vs. Patriots

Shortly after Houston Texans third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud endured a nightmare outing during this past Sunday's divisional-round playoff loss at the New England Patriots, Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans said that "C.J. is our guy."

While speaking with reporters on Monday, Ryans shared how he wants Stroud to respond to a pair of poor postseason performances. 

Texans want C.J. Stroud to get "back to the basics"

"I talked with C.J. [Monday], and my message is the same," Ryans explained, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "Right now, it’s just about him flushing this one. It’s going to be a lot of negative talk, a lot of attention on him. He can’t listen to it all. He’s just got to get back to work in the offseason of going back to the basics, the fundamentals of playing the quarterback position, playing it really well, understanding how we need to play the game to win the game. He understands that already." 

Earlier in January, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported that the Texans plan to pick up the fifth-year option for 2027 attached to Stroud's rookie contract. That said, Houston may not be in a hurry to make a long-term commitment to Stroud after he was a turnover machine in back-to-back playoff games. 

Stroud lost two fumbles and threw an interception in Houston's 30-6 wild-card victory at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 12. He then tossed four picks in the first half of the 28-16 defeat at New England. On Monday, Ryans made it known he wants Stroud to avoid hearing and reading what is being said about him early into the Texans' offseason. 

DeMeco Ryans wants C.J. Stroud to clear his mind after playoff loss

"I just told him, 'Don’t listen to anything. Put your phone away. Don’t listen to anything, because there’s going to be a lot of negative talk out there for you,'" Ryans added during his comments about his QB1. "Specifically, I just told him to get away, clear his mind. Because right now, at this moment, I know there’s going to be a lot of attention on him, a lot of negative media, and today, a lot of questions about him. That’s what it is, and he understands the position that he is in. As a quarterback leading the team, a lot is expected of you. A lot of eyes are on you, so when it doesn’t go right, there’s going to be a lot of negative talk about you. He understands that, and he just can’t allow the opinions of others to weigh who he really is inside." 

Every indication is that Stroud will stay atop the Houston depth chart from the start of the new league year in March through early September. If he doesn't put pen to paper on a contract extension this offseason, however, some understandably will say that individuals within the Texans may feel that the club's long-term answer at the sport's most important position isn't currently on its roster.