PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 12: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans throws a pass during the first quarter of the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This is the time of year where hot takes, crazy speculation and comments taken out of context turn into overblown national headlines. People want to talk football and in the absence of large quantities of news, stories are often manufactured for the sake of having a story.
At first glance, it shouldn’t surprise too many people that Buffalo Bill’s quarterback Josh Allen sits at the top of the list. Allen, who might be the modern equivalent of Dan Marino, or more accurately, Jim Kelly, is an amazing QB, no doubt. However, like Marino, Kelly and several other league leading field generals, he’s yet to put a ring on it.
Upon first glance, my expectation for Stroud on this list was somewhere between 8-10. But, as I scrolled down, I saw names like Justin Herbert, Drake Maye and Dan Prescott fill that range. Prescott? Really? Not sure on that one…
Scrolling a bit further than expected, the #17 slot finally filled my screen.
Rank 17 – C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Stroud regressed significantly in 2025 as he continued to deal with poor pass protection and injuries. His 62.0 PFF passing grade ranked 34th among 43 qualifying quarterbacks, including the postseason. He also committed a career-high 23 turnover-worthy plays, 10 of which came in Houston’s two postseason games against Pittsburgh and New England.
The Texans’ offensive line should improve after the additions they made this offseason, but Stroud will still need to handle pressure better in 2026. His 35.5 PFF passing grade under pressure ranked fourth-worst among qualifying quarterbacks. He also tied for the league lead in interceptions thrown under pressure (8). If Stroud can regain his confidence behind a revamped offensive line, Houston could be a Super Bowl contender.
In light of their proprietary system giving Stroud some pretty low marks for last season, it’s understandable he fell down into middle-of-the-pack territory. And, let’s face it, based solely on last season’s stats, 17 might be generous.
However, PFF’s grades don’t always (in fact, rarely?) paint an accurate picture of a player. Particularly if they’re using just the prior season. On that basis, there were some years where Tom Brady, Steve Young and other Hall of Famers weren’t even top 15 worthy.
Where it gets wonky is PFF’s tunnel-vision as applied to Stroud. Looking at Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes for example. Mahomes also had a down year last season. However, he lands in 4th place here, based almost entirely on what he’d accomplished prior to 2025.
C.J. Stroud’s EPA/Play over his career currently sits at +0.04 via @PFF.
That ranks 60th/102 QBs that have taken 1000 snaps in the PFF era.
Stroud falls right below QBs like Joe Flacco (58th) & Andy Dalton (58) but in front of Bo Nix (61st) & Trevor Lawrence (63rd). pic.twitter.com/12jTi6tqot
Now, make no mistake, Stroud has yet to show he’s the equal of Mahomes. And, he may never do that. But, grading 1 QB based on total career and another on their worst season makes things seem a little janky.
What do you think? Where does Stroud truly rank in your mind?
Speaking of other QBs on the list, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence falls in at #11. Now, Lawrence is a solid QB, deserving of praise – and held back by less-than-optimal teamwork at times. Does that make him 6 slots better than Stroud, though? Not likely.
According to Statpros, the answer is pretty obvious:
Stroud has thrown 43 TD’s compared to 17 interceptions. His TD rate on pass attempts is 4.2% and his interception rate is 1.6%. He’s lost a total of 540 yards while being the victim of a QB sack 90 times. He averages 244.8 yards per contest through the air. In the 32 games in his career, Stroud has connected on 655 of 1,031 attempts for a total of 7,835 yds.
In 60 contests in his career, Lawrence has been successful on 1,288 of his 2,034 attempts for 13,815 yds. He averages 230.3 yds per contest through the air. Lawrence has thrown 69 TD’s compared to 46 picks. He’s lost 672 yards while being the victim of a QB sack 112 different times. His touchdown rate when attempting a pass is 3.4% and his interception rate is 2.3%.
So, we’re left back at the top of the page: here’s something to talk about that may not be as substantive as we’d like. But, it’s a way to talk football in a month where there isn’t much football to talk about. Is it September 13th yet?
