Texans’ C.J. Stroud returns as limited participant in practice
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Stroud is in “phase four” of the concussion protocol and has one more phase to clear.
“It’s encouraging to have C.J. back at practice today,” Ryans said. “It was encouraging to see him. It just lifts everyone’s spirit to see him back, doing well, and progressing in the right direction. Happy about that.”
Stroud suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of the Texans’ Week 14 loss to the New York Jets. He entered the concussion protocol and didn’t practice or play for two weeks.
In Stroud’s absence, the Texans went 1-1 as they defeated the Tennessee Titans 19-16 in Week 15 and lost 36-22 to the Cleveland Browns in Week 16.
Case Keenum started two games in place of Stroud and threw one touchdown with three interceptions. Keenum was benched for Davis Mills against the Browns in the fourth quarter, and Mills threw two touchdowns.
The Texans are in a three-way tie with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South as they sit at 8-7. The Texans are also the No. 8 seed in the AFC, so they hope Stroud returns as they push for the playoffs.
Before Stroud suffered a concussion, he led the league in passing yards (3,631) and threw 20 touchdowns to five interceptions. Going into Week 14, the Texans’ offense with Stroud ranked 10th in scoring (23.8 per game) and sixth in total offense (373.1). Without him, the offense averaged 295 yards and 17 points per game.
For Week 17, the Texans host the Tennessee Titans as they’re trying to stay afloat in both the AFC South and the wild-card race. The Texans control their destiny the rest of the way; if they win out against the Titans and Colts, they’ll make the postseason.