Top offseason priority: Figure out if C.J. Stroud really is the right man for the job.
It seemed that no quarterback in the Divisional Round could’ve been more erratic than Buffalo’s Josh Allen, as he committed four turnovers in a 33-30 overtime loss to Denver. That was before Stroud proved how silly that notion could be. Stroud threw four interceptions in the first half of his team’s 28-16 loss to New England, and that performance looked even worse than the numbers suggest. He looked so shook heading into halftime that it was worth wondering if backup Davis Mills could’ve been pressed into duty to finish that game. Stroud fortunately steadied himself in the second half — and helped keep his team close until New England pulled away in the fourth quarter — but that isn’t the story here. The story is that Stroud still hasn’t looked like the quarterback who exploded upon the NFL as a rookie, and it’s time to wonder if he ever will again. Yes, there are real factors that have impacted his growth, including injuries at wide receiver (Nico Collins didn’t play against New England), a limited running game (the Texans only gained 48 yards on the ground) and offensive line woes (that were far worse last season). Stroud also just finished his third season, which means things are about to get real. It’s fair to wonder how comfortable the Texans are with bestowing a massive extension on him now that he’s eligible. He might make a huge leap in his development in the way Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence did this season. Stroud also could end up like Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa, who was benched at the end of this year. Both of those players signed huge contracts. Only one is making his team feel good about that investment. There is still time to see how Stroud fares in his fourth season, but what happened in New England is a hard image to forget.
