Two Houston Texans rookies began collecting the first of many awards in their bright futures.
The Pro Football Writers of America recognized quarterback C.J. Stroud as Offensive Rookie of the Year and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. as Defensive Rookie of the Year. Stroud was also awarded the PFWA’s NFL Rookie of the Year.
Houston went into the 2023 NFL draft in desperate need on the offensive side of the ball, and they found it after using their second overall selection to draft Stroud out of Ohio State to solidify their quarterback position for many years to come. He started 15 games for the Texans, completing 319-of-499 pass attempts for a rookie franchise-record 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 100.8, marking the third-best passer rating by a rookie in NFL history.
With 4,108 passing yards, Stroud ranks third in the NFL amongst rookie signal callers while leading all rookies this past season in all major passing categories. He finished the 2023 campaign with 4,557 total passing yards, including the postseason, the second-most ever by a rookie. Stroud earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in Week 9 and 18 this season, the latter after he led the Texans to a 23-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in a must-win game to solidify a spot in the 2023 NFL Postseason Playoffs.
Stroud also won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month and AFC Player of the Month for November, becoming just the second rookie quarterback in league history to win AFC Offensive Player of the Month and just the fifth player ever to earn NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month in the same month.
The two-time Heisman Finalist proved to Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio that they made the right decision by protecting the football. Stroud began his career with a record 192 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the most ever by a player to begin a career, and threw 198 pass attempts without an interception to conclude his rookie campaign.
His 4.60 touchdown-to-interception ratio and league-leading 273.9 passing yards per game landed him third in NFL history behind Joe Montana (1989) and Tom Brady (2007), finishing first in both categories.
Outside of offensive help, the Texans also needed a player who could bring a physical presence on the defensive side of the ball and help improve the league’s worst run defense. They found that in Anderson, who was selected one pick after Stroud when the Texans used future draft capital to trade with the Arizona Cardinals for the third overall draft pick.
The two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year started in 13 games, totaling 45 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss, 67 pressures, 7.0 sacks, one pass defensed, and one blocked field goal. His 7.0 sacks this season set a new rookie franchise record for most sacks in a single season, and his 67 pressures led all rookies in the NFL this year.
Anderson was very noticeable on tape throughout the season, causing offensive coordinators to ensure they either ran away from him or had enough protection for the quarterback. He had his best performance in the Week 13 matchup against the Denver Broncos. His five tackles (three solo), 2.0 sacks, four quarterback hits, and two tackles for loss helped the Texans secure the victory over the Broncos, snapping their five-game winning streak.
Hailed as one of the hardest workers on the field by defensive coordinator Matt Burke, who also coached former Texans defensive great J.J. Watt, Anderson shunned the superstar label early, doing whatever it took to help the team. In Week 3 at Jacksonville, he lined up on special teams and blocked a field goal, becoming the first Texans rookie to block a field goal since Watt in 2011.
