Texans’ C.J. Stroud not throwing due to tight shoulder muscle: ‘General soreness, he’ll be good to go’

HOUSTON – Texans star quarterback C.J. Stroud remains restricted to handing the football off to the running backs during practice drills and isn’t throwing due to shoulder muscle tightness, per league sources.

The issue is not regarded as serious with one source stating Stroud could return to full activities as soon as the next week. Stroud is expected to be fully recovered by training camp

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans downplayed the shoulder issue after an organized team activity Tuesday morning.

“C.J. not throwing again, there are no concerns with C.J.,” Ryans said. “It’s just general soreness. We are taking extra precaution with him. He’ll be good to go. No concerns on my end there.”

Ryans was noncommittal on whether Stroud will throw passes during a mandatory minicamp next week. Stroud did throw lightly from short distances at one point with no obvious discomfort. He seemed to be in a good mood, too, smiling as he executed his special individual handshakes with teammates.

When asked if Stroud had any procedures this offseason, Ryans didn’t address that part of the question. Stroud didn’t have offseason surgery, per a league source.

“That’s it for C.J., guys, on the question, that’s it,” Ryans said. “It’s general soreness and we’re taking extra precaution with him. We’re not going to rush him into anything. He’ll be fine. When the moment for him to be ready to go, he’ll be ready to go.”

With Stroud watching from the side while standing next to offensive coordinator Nick Caley, backup Davis Mills ran the offense again.

Stroud did some handoffs to the running backs. Overall, though, he has been limited for the entire organized team activity besides warmups and some resistance training that involved the upper body and lower body.

“C.J. has been awesome,” new Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk said. “You can just tell by his presence in the locker room. Getting to know him in the facility and outside the facility and being able to spend some time with him. He is super humble, and he has had success over the past couple of years and it has been fun to watch.

“Even if he is not involved you still see him listening to the calls going through certain things. If he sees a guy make a mistake or feels like they can do better, he is going up to them. That is big for a quarterback going into his third season. That is stuff you see from guys that have been in the league longer. It is really cool to see and when it is time for us to start rolling he is going to hop in and keep elevating us as an offense.”

Caley said Friday the team isn’t worried about Stroud.

“Yeah, he’s locked in every step of the way,” Caley said. “No concerns whatsoever. I know DeMeco has already hit on this. Everybody has a specific routine relative to their own routine, specific to whatever. Whether it’s football, whether it’s athletic training, etc., he’s doing a great job and he’s out here and he’s working.”

When Stroud breaks the huddle this fall after delivering the play call to his teammates, Stroud will experience something new in his NFL career.

Heading into his third season, the former Ohio State consensus All-American is being granted more responsibility and trust to orchestrate the Texans’ offense under Caley.

Now, Stroud is going to have increased flexibility to run the offense. That includes making adjustments before the snap as he scans the defense and has the ability to audible and change plays and protection schemes in tandem with Caley.

“It’s like anything else,” Caley said. “The more you can do, the better off you’re going to end up being. He wants to have the ability to be able to have control. When you’re at that position there is a lot of great value in being able to fix problems that come up or unscouted looks that come up.

“It doesn’t happen overnight. That’s for sure. It’s repetition. It’s comfort with the offense. He’s working hard. He’s done a good job. We’ll just keep growing that.”

The collaboration between Stroud, a former Pro Bowl selection, and Caley, a first-time offensive coordinator schooled in the Los Angeles Rams’ offense built by Sean McVay and the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady era schemes of Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels, is pivotal to the outlook of the defending AFC South champions.

“I will be able to put my swag on it, have fun with it,” Stroud said at the start of the offseason workout program. “He is all about me taking full ownership, running the show, and that’s what I want. I’m gonna get what I want and it’s really been really cool just to see that he’s bought into me and he doesn’t really know me well yet. He talked about having blind trust and I have a lot of trust in him already. Just how he talks and how he presents in the room is really cool to see.”

This is what Stroud has been preparing for, advancing in his game and knowledge to the point where he can put his personal stamp on the offense Caley is installing. The replacement for offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, dismissed after the offense regressed last season due to a lack of adjustments, substandard pass protection and an unwillingness to listen to input from key players and assistant coaches, per league sources, Caley represents an agent of change for the Texans.

‘He’s a great leader:’ Why Texans owner Cal McNair has faith in Texans QB C.J. Stroud

While a relatively stagnant offense and Stroud dipped significantly statistically last season one year after he was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year largely, the Texans are confident that Stroud will take another leap in his development next season.

For a franchise with ambitions set on making a deep playoff run after losing in consecutive years in the AFC divisional round, Stroud represents a key figure in everything they’re working toward. Stroud is a year removed from being eligible for what’s shaping up to be a blockbuster contract extension. And the Texans would gladly reward Stroud as long as the team captain continues to make strides in his overall game. There’s a strong belief in Stroud in the locker room, from the coaching staff and at the top of the organization from ownership.

“He’s a great person, so he has all of our respect,” Texans principal owner Cal McNair said of Stroud during the NFL owners meetings in March “I think we’ve seen his ability on the field is totally there to lead the team. We’ve seen it for two years now, and I think he’ll take another step this year. He’s a great leader and we’re looking for him to lead us where we’ve never gone before. We think he can do it.”

A former second overall pick and Heisman Trophy finalist from Ohio State, Stroud, 23, has won a pair of AFC wild-card round playoff wins. He has completed 66.1 percent of his throws for a combined 976 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in the playoffs. In the regular season, Stroud has a 19-13 winning percentage with 63.5 percent accuracy, 7,835 yards, 43 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and a 93.7 passer rating.

Caley worked closely with prolific Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, a strong-armed gunslinger, as the tight ends coach and passing game coordinator under McVay.

“They love the position,” Caley said of Stroud and Stafford. “They take a lot of pride in what they do. Yeah, they love football.”

The Texans fired offensive line coach Chris Strausser and replaced him with Cole Popovich after Stroud was sacked a career-high 52 times during the regular season, the second-most in the league. Stroud was sacked eight times and hit 14 times overall in a playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The thinking is, if the play-calling is upgraded along with the play and blocking schemes of the offensive line, Stroud will go back to the high-level trajectory his career was on as a rookie.

Caley takes over an offense headlined by Stroud, who emulates Tom Brady’s even-keeled approach and is an admirer of Stafford’s style of play.

“He comes from L.A. and New England and he is going to bring some of that swag over here, so that kind of is what I’m used to,” Stroud said of Caley. “Taking control and being a little more pre=snap, having tools to put my guys in the best position. That is something that we really didn’t work on these last two years.

“Even those principles I learned from, and it made me better because it added a new element to my game. We will be able to just get better and learn from what he did with New England and L.A. and will definitely help me because those are two schemes I am used to in a sense. That is kind of what I ran at Ohio State, kind of how New England does a little bit, L.A. is kind of what we ran here these last two years.”

While there will be familiar territory for Stroud based on utilizing schemes similar to what the Texans ran for two seasons under Slowik as far as West Coast offensive concepts McVay learned from Mike Shanahan in Washington and some of what the Patriots utilized, this marks Caley’s first time running an NFL offense and being a play-caller.

There will be familiarity with the retention of quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson as well as receivers coach and passing game coordinator Ben McDaniels, Josh McDaniels’ brother. Stroud has been working with Johnson since he was 16 years old, going back to his time with the Elite 11 program in high school. And Johnson’s role figures to increase with Caley, too.

“I think it’s very important,” Stroud said. “Jerrod is somebody who has been with me since my rookie season, but also has known me since I was in high school. For him to be here and seeing me in those different lights and those different points of my life, it’s been cool.

“He’s going to give him a lot more responsibility, which I think Jerrod is due for and I think he’s going to do great with it. I told him, man, he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever worked with. Just the way he thinks, the way he operates, the fact that he played and really, just the human being he is and I’m excited to see him elevate as a coach and to be more hands-on is going to be amazing.”

The relationship between Stroud and Caley is off to a strong start. The bond they build now and the mutual understanding of a philosophy for how to best attack defenses will be a critical factor in the Texans’ ability to compete this season.

There’s already a common ground as they exchange telephone calls to discuss the offense heading into organized team activities.

“Just a lot of similarities when it comes to family, just how much we love our families and how much we love ball,” Stroud said. “And he’s very personable, somebody that I’ve found respect for already just on how he approaches the game, how much he loves it. It’s been nice.”

The Texans are strong believers in Stroud, and his work ethic. And Stroud has dedicated himself even more to improving this offseason.

SEE ALSO:

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‘He can spin it, he’s got the It factor,’ how Texans new OC Nick Caley approaches coaching C.J. Stroud

“He can spin it, he throws the ball,” Caley said during his introductory press conference. “He’s an accurate thrower of the football. He is a natural thrower the football. He’s instinctive. He’s got the It factor. And he’s a warrior in terms of his competitiveness. I’ve admired him dating back to his college days.”

Practice updates

Texans veteran tight end Dalton Schultz returned to practice after being sidelined last week and running on a side field with trainers.

Schultz moved well, catching one touchdown pass.

Wide receiver Christian Kirk returned to practice. And the veteran slot receiver excelled at creating space and finding a seam in the defense. His routes are textbook.

Wide receiver Justin Watson returned to practice and looked sharp as a route runner. He’s also a taller, stronger downfield target who signed a two-year contract.

Rookie wide receiver Jaylin Noel worked out on the side with trainers, but was running fast. Whatever reason why he didn’t participate in drills doesn’t appear to be serious.

Wide receiver Braxton Berrios and rookie quarterback Graham Mertz worked out on the side. Both players tore their anterior cruciate ligaments last season.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said the Texans will add a cornerback to the roster at some point, either a veteran or a younger player, with the retirement of veteran corner Ronald Darby.

“For Darby, with the decision he made to retire I know what the decision is like,” Ryans said. “It’s not an easy decision but I wish Darby the best. It’s a very difficult time to step away from the game that you love, whenever that decision comes.

“Whether it’s voluntary or it’s your body saying you can’t do it, it’s difficult because you’ve done it for such a long time. And I don’t take that decision lightly. When it comes to us and how we fill the position, yes, we’ll look to add another corner whether it’s a veteran or a younger player, whoever it may be, we’ll look to add a guy.”

Wide receiver Jared Wayne caught another touchdown. A former undrafted free agent from Pitt, the native of Canada is having a good spring.

Offensive line update

Cam Robinson lined up with the first-team offense at left tackle next to left guard Laken Tomlinson, center Jake Andrews, right guard Tytus Howard and right tackle Blake Fisher.

Fisher had trouble again blocking Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr.

Rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins caught a touchdown pass.

Rookie tackle Aireontae Ersery, a massive second-round draft pick from Minnesota, subbed for Robinson.

Jarrett Patterson was the primary backup center.

Ed Ingram played with the second-team offense behind Howard at right guard.

Sidelined or absent

Several players didn’t practice or were absent, including Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon (has been in a walking boot this spring, per league sources) and backup Dameon Pierce.

Mixon is expected to be ready by training camp, per a source.

Also not practicing: wide receivers Braxton Berrios (knee) and Jaylin Noel, tight end Brevin Jordan (torn ACL last season), linebackers Christian Harris and Henry To’oTo’o.

Absent from the voluntary workout: safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, defensive linemen Sheldon Rankins, Derek Barnett, Denico Autry and Foley Fatukasi.

Ryans said that Harris will be ready for training camp after missing most of last season with calf and ankle injuries.

“Working hard and he’ll be ready to roll for training camp,” Ryans said.

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com