Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. and quarterback CJ Stroud have been closely linked since the night of the 2023 NFL Draft. That night, Houston stunned the league by selecting them back-to-back at No. 2 (Stroud) and No. 3 overall (Anderson Jr.) before watching them become just the fourth pair of teammates in NFL history to sweep both the AP Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards.
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They did not just join the Texans; they practically built the team’s modern winning culture together. So no wonder Anderson stepped in when CJ Stroud needed defending.
“CJ to me is a leader. He wears that C proudly on his chest for a reason,” Anderson told reporters. “As a player & as his teammate, we voted him as a captain. We understand what it takes to be a captain & he represents & embodies everything it takes to be a captain on this team & that’s why we voted him as a captain.”
Andre Johnson, a retired Texans legend, criticized Stroud while evaluating his sideline body language and late-game execution following a Week 1 loss.
The controversy started when Hall of Fame wideout Andre Johnson spoke out on the LGND Talk Podcast. Johnson claimed that the thing he dislikes the most about CJ Stroud is his bad body language that negatively impacts the sideline and trickles through the team.
In response to those remarks, Anderson Jr. firmly defended his quarterback against the franchise icon’s criticism.
“CJ’s been doing a phenomenal job since his rookie year to now with great body language, getting guys going, leading that group of guys over there & having enthusiasm, having fun on the sidelines & if something doesn’t go right, I think he does a good job of bringing everybody back together and streamlining everybody. We can’t really focus on that. Cincinnati’s up right now, CJ’s in a good place, the offense is rolling, he’s gonna continue to keep doing great things. And we’re gonna continue to keep this thing rolling,” Anderson Jr. said of CJ Stroud.
The public comments from Johnson drew reactions across the NFL media landscape, with ESPN reporter DJ Bien-Aime suggesting that Johnson could have called Stroud directly instead of criticizing him on a public platform.
Stroud’s contract situation also played a part in why Johnson gave the comments that he did. The QB chose to play out the fourth year of his rookie deal without an early extension. While Houston picked up his 2027 fifth-year option, Stroud is betting on himself ahead of a booming market.
“When you’re betting on yourself, and it’s time for that contract year, you got that ball in your hands at the end of the game, you got to go down and score and win the game…I think when you’re in a contract situation and…When you play, and you’re in those moments, you got to live up to what you want. You gotta go out there and show that the money that you want, that you’re worth it,” Andre Johnson had stated on the podcast.
CJ Stroud has chosen to play out the 4th year of his rookie deal without an early extension. And Houston has picked up his 2027 5th-year option; Stroud is betting on himself ahead of a booming QB market.
The QB completed 26 of 38 passes for 274 yards and two TDs, but he also lost two costly fumbles in their season opener loss against Josh Allen’s Bills.
The former NFL legend was pointing to the critical moments towards the end of the game, especially Stroud’s second turnover that came from a sack and occurred inside Buffalo’s 20-yard line with under 20 seconds remaining, ending a potential Texans comeback.
Despite all the criticism, Anderson Jr. made it clear that the locker room remains solely focused on the Week 2 clash with the Cincinnati Bengals. It was a sentiment that CJ Stroud, the man in question, also reciprocated.
When CJ Stroud was asked about Andre’s comments, he chose to show respect to the legend and express that he remains focused on the challenges ahead rather than trade blows.
“I don’t really have a comment for it. I respect Dre as a person, I appreciate his critiques, but I’m focused on this week. Trying to go 1-0 against the Bengals. But I respect Dre, and if that conversation needs to be had, it’ll be had,” CJ Stroud told reporters on Wednesday.