Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Micah Parsons predicts C.J. Stroud will win Offensive Rookie of the Year

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 10/3/23

After an impressive start, it's fair to say Houston's C.J. Stroud is the top rookie quarterback. Just ask Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons.

"C.J. is gonna be Offensive Rookie of The Year if it's not [Falcons RB] Bijan Robinson," Parsons said on a recent episode of his podcast "The Edge with Micah Parsons." "It's gonna come down to the wire, but if he stays on this pace, C.J. is gonna walk away with it."

Per OddsChecker, Stroud, the second overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, is the favorite (+175) to win OROY. Through four games, he has thrown for the fourth-most passing yards (1,212) in the NFL and registered the ninth-best passer rating (100.6). Also, he set the rookie record for most passing attempts (151) without an interception.

CJ Stroud broke the record for most pass attempts without an interception to start an NFL career (151)

The @HoustonTexans seem to have found their franchise QB pic.twitter.com/Gjs6HdPn3E
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 2, 2023

In a 30-6 upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4, Stroud went 16-of-30 for 306 yards and two TDs. The Cowboys two-time Pro Bowler noted the 22-year-old's poise against a talented Pittsburgh defense.

"We need to get on board with C.J. Stroud," Parsons said. "He just dominated this Steelers defense — a defense that has T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Cameron Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick — and he dominated them."

Parsons — 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year — is one of the best players in the NFL. So it's a good sign for the Texans that others around the league are starting to take notice of the rookie QB and believe he's thriving.

If Stroud continues on this trajectory, he will become a cornerstone the Texans can keep building around to reinvigorate the franchise, which hasn't won an AFC South title since 2019.

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