wanted back. The rookie had been duped. The defense and their new coordinator, Matt Burke, deployed a coverage they’d only installed that day. A veteran might’ve deduced the concept. But almost everything is new for Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick whose mistakes are an acceptable and expected cost of his acclimation. Correcting them will accelerate its completion.
Practice ended. The team huddled, broke. Coaches and players wandered toward the walking bridge over Kirby Drive. Stroud hustled, shouted: “Coach Burke!” The two walked together back to NRG Stadium, Stroud peppering Burke with questions about the coverage that had confounded him, what he’d seen, how it’d been set up. Burke knew he was only the latest source for Stroud’s curiosity.
“He’s literally grabbing everybody he can on the field,” Burke said.
Welcome to Stroud’s first month with the Texans, a period defined by the Ohio State product’s diligent exploration of the things he doesn’t know. Every coach, every player seems to have their own story. It’s a promising sign.
There is no more important development project for a franchise emerging from its rebuild, a team whose quarterback issues compounded two seasons mired in losing.
Stroud is already advancing. He began Houston’s offseason program as the second quarterback in the rotation behind incumbent starter Davis Mills. After five weeks of meetings and limited on-field workouts, they first faced defenses in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills last week. The Texans were given four days off for Memorial Day, and after they returned Tuesday, Stroud seized the offense’s first-team snaps.
Coach DeMeco Ryans said it was “very eye-opening” how “on it” Stroud was when workouts resumed. The rookie was more confident in huddles, Ryans said, more fluent in his play calls, more proficient as a passer. Stroud’s promotion in practice, however inevitable it may have seemed for Houston’s top draft pick, remains significant due to the swiftness with which it was secured.
The Texans have four more workouts before their two-day mandatory minicamp begins June 13. It will be the franchise’s best-case scenario for Stroud to open training camp in late July as the clear starting quarterback. The organization augmented a preseason schedule that begins Aug. 10 against the Patriots by
securing joint practices with the Dolphins and Saints, and the more problems Stroud solves with the first team, the more he can quell concerns associated with starting a rookie in Week 1.
“He’s definitely progressing in the right direction,” Ryans said after Wednesday’s workout. “The sky’s the limit for him.”
Stroud was noticeably more comfortable in Wednesday’s workout. On-target passes that wobbled a week ago morphed into tight spirals. He’d improved on his footwork and timing on play-action techniques from under-center snaps, which he rarely did while playing in Ohio State’s shotgun-oriented spread system..
Jerrod Johnson, Houston’s quarterbacks coach, said Stroud is “already way, way ahead of pace” with his footwork and timing. The purer Stroud’s technique, the more clearly he can see his progressions, read defenses and make correct decisions. He was 6-of-8 passing during 7-on-7 drills. He dropped a pass of 30-plus yards to Nico Collins along the left sideline over cornerback Cobi Francis. Stroud fired a 20-yard pass up the right seam to a diving Dameon Pierce, who nearly hung on for a completion. He fit a slant to Collins between tightly contested defenders Derek Stingley Jr. and Christian Harris.
Stroud’s next challenge appears to be handling the rush. His completions wavered in 11-on-11 drills against the first-team defensive line. He was 3-for-7 on passes the Chronicle observed. He attempted to hum a slant to Collins against Stingley, but safety Jalen Pitre swooped in and swatted the pass incomplete. Eventually, Stroud drove the offense downfield with a series of slants and hitches, mostly to Collins. Stroud showcased his penchant for precision by humming a hitch to Collins tightly between Francis and veteran safety Jimmie Ward.
“We knew in the draft process (Stroud) had an understanding of protections and coverages and a lot of things that you need as a foundation just to understand the language we’re speaking in the quarterback room,” said Johnson, who is a full-time quarterbacks coach for the first time. “So, him coming in with a lot of that foundation from college is huge. But for the most part for us, we just want him to understand the urgency of playing on time and just kind of the foundation of this offense so he can be successful. I think he’s done a really good job of that.”
The Texans are hardly near installing the fullness of Slowik’s system. Slowik is still identifying the player-specific modifications these workouts are revealing. So, the first-time offensive coordinator says he has been methodical in his teaching. It’s an approach the entire coaching staff shares. Ryans, 38,
built a young staff that includes first-time position coaches who are teaching a new system to a roster with 41 new players. But Slowik realizes his and Johnson’s management of Stroud’s development will significantly impact how quickly the Texans can return to competitiveness.