Hall of Fame quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Kurt Warner are among the noteworthy members of the NFL community who sounded alarms about Houston Texans third-year starter C.J. Stroud following Stroud’s playoff performances this past January.
During an appearance on the latest edition of the “Ross Tucker Football Podcast,” Texans tight end Dalton Schultz defended Stroud.
Dalton Schultz: Texans’ playoff loss “not all” on C.J. Stroud
“Everybody has a bad game,” Schultz said while speaking about his QB1, per Kevin Patra of the NFL’s website. “Everybody has a rough (day) at the office. To be honest, not all that was on him. Everyone is going to pin it on him, because he’s the quarterback — and he understands that, we understand that. But I think what’s important is realizing, separate yourself from that as who you are. One game doesn’t define you, good or bad. It’s all going to fall on you, regardless, so own it, bro, like the result is bad. We lost. Dude, I got hurt in the first quarter, it sucks. So I look at myself, and I’m like, ‘Alright, that’s never happened…do I need to do more next time? What can I change?'”
The Texans notched a 30-6 wild-card playoff victory at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 12, but Stroud became the first player since New York Giants icon Eli Manning (2007 regular season) to win a game with five fumbles since fumbles were first recorded in 1991. Stroud lost two fumbles and tossed an interception in that contest.
Stroud later threw four interceptions in the first half of Houston’s 28-16 divisional-round playoff loss at the New England Patriots on Jan. 18. As Schultz referenced, he left that game early with a calf injury.
Texans don’t blame just one guy for falling short of AFC title game
“Everybody’s got to turn themselves,” Schultz added during his comments about Stroud. “It’s not all on C.J. Do you think he throws some of those picks if he didn’t have a guy in his lap? Everything is so entangled in football that it’s hard to put anything on one guy ever.”
The Texans are expected to pick up the fifth-year option for 2027 attached to Stroud’s rookie contract. That said, Houston may not decide his long-term future before he enters what could become a “prove it” campaign regarding his status with the club this coming September.