C.J. Stroud has simply not been the same player since winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. That season, averaged over 270 yards passing a game, put up a 100+ passer rating, and led the league with a 1.0 interception rate. So far this year, he’s putting up much less attractive numbers, with an 88.7 passer rating, barely more than 200 yards passing a game, and an INT rate almost thrice as high as that rookie mark (2.6).
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There is no doubt that many factors in his regression. Some of that is surely NFL defenses getting more tape on Stroud, which allows them to study his strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies. But after his team’s first win in the season, a 26-0 triumph that brought them to 1-3 on the year, Stroud revealed that he believes he’s already lost a lot of his athleticism.
CJ Stroud on improving explosiveness:
“Being 23, I’m not fully in my grown man body all the way yet. I’m still growing.”
“I feel like I’m getting old. I’m not as quick as I used to be. I was watching my high school stuff a couple days ago & I was like 180 & I was rollin.” pic.twitter.com/LeLfxK71sk
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) October 1, 2025
And it’s not like this is a grizzled veteran saying this. Stroud is a quarter of the way through just his third year in the NFL and is only 23 years old. Stroud did acknowledge that better adherence to weight-lifting and diet regimens could help stem that flow. Hearing that, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson offered up a diet regimen that he believes would allow Stroud to not only stop the reduction of his athleticism but actually increase it.
“The people around you are just that much faster. That’s all. Ain’t nothing wrong with you, boy. You’re 23 years old, boy. Don’t let them people brainwash you, too. Talk about some diet. I can make sure you’re never hurt again. You hear me? Houston right down the street from me. I’m a nutritionist. I got a 17-week plan that will take you out this world, I got my license, I’m a dietician. … I can get you down to a 4.3. Come on down to my track program.”
Considering Chad Johnson’s track record of eating fast food at an inordinate rate, and the fact that he ran just a 4.57 at the combine back when he was drafted in 2001, Stroud and any other young athletes should certainly take Johnson’s words with a grain of salt and a laugh. It is worth noting that one of Johnson’s eight children, Cha’iel Johnson, is a track star at Kentucky.
Whether he’s got 4.3 speed or not, Stroud needs to be better as a passer, not just as an athlete. We do need to cut him some slack, considering the motley crew of offensive linemen he has blocking for him. But we won’t cut the Texans any slack for that, as they’ve traded two quality starting tackles in the calendar year of 2025 (Laremy Tunsil, Cam Robinson).
At the start of the year, their Week 5 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens would have seemed like one of the toughest on the schedule. But now, with Lamar Jackson unlikely to play and the bevy of other injuries on their defense, it should be an opportunity for Stroud, that shoddy offensive line, and the rest of the Texans to get back in a bit of a groove.
