The Houston Texans' offseason has been littered with voices building quarterback C.J. Stroud back up after a trying end to his campaign.
Offensive tackle Trent Brown recently became part of the chorus.
"I expect C.J. to get better," Brown on The Set with Terron Armstead. "People be so quick to throw people away that they forget what you've done for them. The build up, you know what I mean? I expect C.J. to get better. I think C.J. is going to come in and be even more of a leader than he's been. I think his approach will be different. Me and C.J. had a discussion probably about a month and a half ago and talked about the season and what he could be better at. I think this offseason is a little different for him and I think he's going to surprise a lot of people. I think people think that he might be down in the dumps, or they might be down in the dumps on him, but I think he's going to surprise a lot of people."
Stroud, who stormed onto the scene as the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year, had trouble building on that start to his career over the past two seasons, but nonetheless led the Texans to three consecutive playoff berths for the first time in franchise history.
It was in the most recent postseason that Stroud melted down, fumbling five times in a wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and tossing four interceptions in a Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots. In the time since, teammates such as tight end Dalton Schultz and wide receiver Nico Collins have spoken up for their QB.
Houston has also batted away trade speculation and on April 8 picked up Stroud's fifth-year option, a decision general manager Nick Caserio described as a no-brainer.
From all appearances, the Texans are fully bought into Stroud coming back stronger from recent disappointment.
A large factor in Stroud doing so will be the performance of his offensive line, which for a second straight year has undergone a transformation in Houston.
The Texans traded Juice Scruggs to the Detroit Lions and Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns. They brought in Braden Smith and Wyatt Teller, and they re-signed Ed Ingram to a three-year deal.
With himself and 2025 second-rounder Aireontae Ersery also in the mix, Brown believes the group has the makings of stout unit, one he acknowledged was "viewed as the weak link" at times last season.
"We added more veteran presence into the room," Brown said. "Wyatt Teller, huge addition. I think that addition along with what we have, and him playing aside probably the best rookie tackle I've seen in a long time since myself, Aireontae Ersery, bro, I'm a fan of that young fella. 鈥� I think you could expect to see (Ersery) really take another step in Year 2. Then we signed back Ed Ingram, had a huge year last year. I only expect him to get better, as well. I think we're really going to build upon last year."
More help on the line, or anywhere for Stroud on the offense, could also soon come though the draft; Houston holds eight picks overall, with four top-70 selections.
With some offseason wheeling and dealing already down and hopefully a strong draft class to come, the Texans are working at overcoming the Divisional Round plateau that has plagued them for three seasons running -- a mission Stroud will be a major part of as he looks to confirm his teammates' belief in him.
