It’s two days before the game as we’re writing this, and C.J. Stroud‘s agent hasn’t reached an agreement with the Houston Texans on a contract extension.
There was optimism that a deal could get done before training camp started.
But both sides appear content to push negotiations into the offseason and wait to see how this season plays out first.
That means Stroud will be betting on himself this year, making the 2026 season an all-important one for the fourth-year quarterback.
Stroud played at an elite level as a rookie. But since then, he has finished mostly in the middle of the pack statistically among quarterbacks.
Last season, Stroud played in a new system under new offensive coordinator Nick Caley, and it took him some time to adjust.
But during training camp, he looked much improved from the previous year, taking better command of the offense.
“He’s just more dialed into the preparation, more comfortable with the offense,” coach DeMeco Ryans told the Houston Chronicle. “It was a quicker training camp with the install. Things were sped up because it’s the second time around. So I think that allows him to be more locked in.
“He had an injury last offseason where he couldn’t participate. So now he’s been healthy all offseason, he’s taking care of his body, he looks good, in shape, so I can only imagine what’s next for him. …
“C.J. is due for a really good season.”
He has improved his leadership and taken accountability for last season’s playoff loss, in which he threw four interceptions, all in the first half.
His play and improvement will be key to Houston’s success this season. They also will ultimately determine his future.
A new deal will likely happen next offseason, as there’s little reason to believe he will regress.
But a bad season from Stroud might have Houston thinking twice about whether he will be part of its future plans.
How good can the offensive line be?
The Texans didn’t go shopping at Neiman Marcus for offensive linemen in free agency this offseason.
But they did try to add competition on the offensive line, most notably with rookie guard Keylan Rutledge, whom general manager Nick Caserio says might be the best lineman on the team.
That’s high praise from Caserio, who doesn’t typically crown players before they play in a game.
But the Texans are excited about their first-round rookie. He’s relentless, plays to the end of the whistle and sometimes past it. He’s not afraid to tussle with other players. And he played well in the preseason.
“I show up every day, work hard,” Rutledge said. “There’s a certain kind of attitude I bring. There’s a certain way I play. Toeing that line, trying to go dominate every play.”
He’ll make his debut at left guard in the season opener, barring any unexpected injuries.
Rutledge has helped change the mindset of Houston’s offensive line, a shift in personality that began last year after Cole Popovich was elevated to offensive line coach. There was a mass exodus of offensive linemen, including Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green, Shaq Mason, Juice Scruggs and Tytus Howard.
But the Texans now believe they have the right pieces to achieve the success they’re seeking. It took several attempts, but Houston finally found its best starting five before the Raiders preseason game.
The starting unit will consist of second-year lineman Aireontae Ersery, Rutledge, free-agent acquisition Evan Brown, Ed Ingram and Trent Brown.
While Stroud’s improvement will be the biggest key for the Texans’ offense this season, it will start with the improvement of the offensive line. Protecting Stroud will be paramount.
The Texans were 5-0 when Stroud was sacked once or less and 8-2 when he was sacked twice or less.
“To put that s- on tape,” Brown said when asked about the offensive line’s goal. “We don’t want to dip our toe in the water. We’re trying to go out there, first play, game one, and set the tone for who we are.”
Brown said he has seen a ton of improvement from last year. Everyone has been on the same page, he said.
“I feel like we can be an elite group,” Brown said. “And that’s just the goal we’re chasing.
“Doing our job and keeping Seven (Stroud) upright so he can do what he does. Because he’s special when he has the time.”
Can the Texans replicate their success against Josh Allen?
The last time the Texans faced the Buffalo Bills and quarterback Josh Allen, they sacked him eight times and intercepted him twice. They chased and defended him with a tornado-like intensity.
Ryans likes to call it S.W.A.R.M., which stands for Special Work Ethic and A Relentless Mindset.
It was one of Allen’s worst games of the 2025 season.
Meanwhile, the prime-time showing served as an introduction to the Texans’ top defense.
But if you talk to players and coaches inside Reliant Stadium, you’d think that performance last year had no bearing on what will happen in their season opener Sunday.
“With this being our first game, anything goes,” Ryans said. “Any looks, any type of schemes, anything can come up. For that reason, I don’t put a lot of weight into the games that we played prior.”
Not to mention, the Bills have a new coaching staff and defensive system.
After longtime Bills coach Sean McDermott was fired last offseason, the Bills elevated offensive coordinator Joe Brady to the role.
Brady then hired Jim Leonhard, who previously was the assistant head coach and pass-game coordinator for the Denver Broncos under Sean Payton and Vance Joseph, as his defensive coordinator.
As for Allen specifically, the Texans know they can’t rest on their 2025 performance. As confident as they are in their ability, they know the former MVP – who was voted the second-best player in the NFL this past year by his peers – is too good to assume he’ll struggle again.
“He’s a great player, dangerous throughout the play,” defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “He has a history of making off-schedule plays and extending plays and creating explosives off that, which is obviously a thing we’ve talked about a lot.”
Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said the same.
“He’s a really great talent, one of the top quarterbacks in the league,” he said. “Played at an extremely high level.
“He can pretty much do it all. Run the ball, throw the ball.”
Allen, though, hasn’t had a great history inside Reliant Stadium. He’s 0-4 all time against the Texans in Houston, losing in 2025, 2024, the 2020 playoffs and 2018.
The Texans and their vaunted defense are hoping to make that 0-5.
“It’s a whole new season,” Al-Shaair said. “We have to put it on tape. Obviously, we think highly of ourselves, but it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t go do it.”
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This article originally published at C.J. Stroud is the key to the Texans. But it starts with a new line. Three things to watch vs. Bills.