WHEN CJ STROUD He came home after a Week 2 practice, freshened up and started watching film of the Chicago Bears defense.
Midway through the session, the Houston Texans' second-year quarterback began texting his chat group of receivers and tight ends with ideas on how to attack the opponent.
Stroud included the weekly clips that quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson and senior offensive assistant Bill Lazor sent him to point out his upcoming opponent's weaknesses.
One message read, “Be prepared to cross the safety's face,” foreshadowing what would happen on the Texans' only touchdown in their 19-13 victory.
In the second quarter, the Texans faced second-and-28 from the Bears' 28-yard line after wide receiver Nico Collins received a penalty for slapping Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik thought the Bears would be in a two-safety position, possibly running a cloud cover (Cover 6), and called the play the group chat had discussed.
Collins was the isolated receiver and had the job. When Stroud caught the snap, the defensive coverage played out as predicted. Collins crossed the face of safety Kevin Byard III and found the window behind linebacker Tremaine Edmunds as Stroud threaded the pass for a score.
That has been the routine for Stroud and his playmakers since he was promoted to starter. He sends text messages Wednesday through Saturday explaining how upcoming defenses will attack, something he started doing at Ohio State.
“I wanted to bring that to the league, see if it works, and it has,” Stroud told ESPN. “I just want to keep it up. Just trying to find those little leverage clips and how to run coverages and stuff like that.”
The group chat has been a factor in Stroud's early success (he was named 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year and led the Texans to their first playoff victory since 2019). In Year 2, Houston is off to a 6-2 start and Stroud ranks sixth in passing yards (1,948) and tied for 10th in touchdown passes (11).
The New York Jets are up next for Stroud and the Texans on “Thursday Night Football” (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime), and a shorter week means an earlier start for the text chain.
Over the course of two seasons, the group has discussed various defensive scenarios, from how to attack Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores' Cover 0 blitzes to New Orleans coach's Tampa 2 defense in the red zone Saints, Dennis Allen, and even take advantage of the three-time All-Pro. Cornerback Patrick Peterson's tracking technique.
Those weekly discussions helped build the connection between Stroud and Collins, who led the NFL in receiving yards (567) before being placed on injured reserve (hamstring) following the Texans' Week 5 win over the Buffalo Bills.
DeMeco Ryans, also in his second year as Texans coach, said this initiative shows how much Stroud is “driven” to win.
“I've been around a lot of different quarterbacks,” Ryans told ESPN. “The good ones, that's the kind of thing they do. Whether it's group talks or getting the group together for meetings and watching extra film on their own, that's what great quarterbacks do. It's all about the extra.”
THE IDEA STARTED during Stroud's two-year stint (2021 and 2022) as a starter at Ohio State. His receiving group contained four future first-rounders: Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Instead of texting, they communicated via Snapchat.
“Everyone was on Snapchat,” Stroud told ESPN. “It was cool to talk about looks. And then when you talk about it, and it happens on the field, it's just cool.”
Stroud threw for 85 touchdowns and 8,123 yards in his college career and finished second in the 2021 Heisman race. Harrison, Wilson, Olave and Smith-Njigba all had 1,000-yard seasons under Stroud.
“CJ was taking control, especially his last year there, and making sure everyone was on the same page and that we were doing what we were supposed to do,” said Smith-Njigba, who is in his second year with Seattle. Seahawks. “It was like a little cheat sheet. It gave me confidence knowing that I know what these guys are doing and what to expect.”
Texans practice squad wide receiver Xavier Johnson, who was at Ohio State as a running back and receiver (2019-2023), said the talk also benefited him.
Johnson and Stroud talked about a play in which Johnson would have a check from the backfield in their College Football Playoff first-round game on New Year's Eve 2022. They knew Georgia inside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson , was in quarter coverage. and it would be one on one against Johnson.
Instead of checking, Johnson flew past Dumas-Johnson down the seam. Stroud threw the pass for a 37-yard touchdown with 49 seconds left in the second quarter to put Ohio State up 28-24.
“We saw the look and knew they were doing something we wanted,” Johnson told ESPN. “The play that was called was heard a little bit. I was like, 'What do you want to do?' He says, 'Let's take it.' And so we take it.”
Ohio State would lose 42-41 to the eventual national champions, but it is one of the most memorable games of Stroud's career; He completed 23 of 34 for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Four months later, the Texans selected him No. 2 overall in the draft.
STROUD MADE SEVERAL things to earn the trust of his teammates in his rookie year, even though he entered training camp in a competition with current starter Davis Mills.
Stroud organized a bowling event for the offense. He took his receivers to Los Angeles to run routes at UCLA. He invited his teammates to have their chef cook for them or watch movies. When the season arrived, Stroud added group chat in his efforts to build team chemistry.
“It's cool, man,” tight end Dalton Schultz told ESPN. “It directly correlates to game day because we're talking about appearance. The whole speech is just on the same page… [Stroud is] the best teammate and wants to win. To do that, especially at such a young age, is great. “That's leadership.”
Wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson's favorite example of last season's talk came in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Stroud was texting the group about how Peterson loved to undercut inside routes. Peterson had done it in the first game against San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings on an inbound route to force an incomplete pass.
“CJ showed us that they are willing to reduce prices if we go for a strong internal release,” Hutchinson said. “[He said] If you keep going, he will eventually put you down. If they undermine, just keep it warm. And guess what happened?”
Late in the fourth quarter, Peterson attempted to undercut Collins, so he changed his route and cut outside, catching Peterson off guard. Stroud turned the ball over and Collins ran down the sideline for a 52-yard touchdown to cap a 30-6 victory.
Veteran Robert Woods' touchdown against the Saints in Week 6 was Stroud's favorite. Schultz had a deep route to the center of the end zone from the 6-yard line with Woods having a drag route. Stroud said in the talk that when Allen called the Tampa 2, Saints middle linebacker Demario Davis would carry anything vertical. Stroud anticipated that Davis would cover for Schultz, creating a void. He told Woods to sit on the hole and he would hit him.
“I sent that clip in earlier in the week, so it's great to see that it paid off,” Stroud said. “There have been moments like that this year.”
THE CHAT HELPED integrating newcomer Stefon Diggs into the mix when he was acquired in a trade with the Bills in April.
Unfortunately for the Texans, Diggs tore his ACL in the Texans' 23-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and will be out for the remainder of the season. Before the injury, Stroud had a passer rating of 104 and completed 73% of his passes when targeting Diggs. Diggs ranked seventh in receptions (47) and second among the Texans in receiving yards (496).
“[Diggs] I could see the looks that [Stroud] go,” wide receiver Tank Dell said. “Of course we talk during practice, but send a clip of the opposing team and watch what they're doing and [he sees] what 7 is thinking. …Stef will tell you [Stroud] what you see and [Stroud] He tells you what he sees. And they would be making plays.”
Even in the Texans' 34-7 loss to the Vikings in Week 3, chat communication helped Stroud and Diggs convert a third down when Diggs ran a slant route against Flores' Cover 0 blitz, according to Woods . Against the Colts, Diggs' longest reception of the season (a 49-yard completion) came on a Stroud scramble that was aided by talk.
“Just finding holes in the defense, knowing how the defense plays. Just staying alive and knowing that your defense has some gaps that can be exposed when the quarterback comes out of the pocket,” Woods said of his use of the scramble drill. . “We know how safeties and linebackers move. We know how to manipulate the defense.”
A big difference between year 1 and year 2 of group chat is the addition of Diggs. But the other change is the timing of the messages.
As a rookie, Stroud was texting at all hours of the day, according to Hutchinson. But in Year 2, Stroud tries to send most of his messages before it's too late at night.
“This year I've been a little bit of an early riser. I'm going to rest a little more this year,” Stroud told ESPN with a smile. “Last year I was a night owl. Now I'm learning to rest.”
One of Stroud's favorite parts of the chat is the closeness it creates between players with offensive skills. It reminds him of the camaraderie at Ohio State.
“The brotherhood in that room is kind of like what I had in college with Garrett, Chris, Jackson, Marvin and even all the way down to our walk-ons,” Stroud said. “Everyone was close, and you look at this team like that.”
Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson contributed to this report.
