Myths can follow quarterbacks far longer than they should once they’re attached, and as Jonathan Swift once wrote, “Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it.”
So is the case with the idea that Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled outside the pocket at Ohio State, or that he’s done so in the NFL. Yes, there are those who are still shocked by Stroud’s out-of-pocket work against Georgia in the Peach Bowl, but with all due respect, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that those people bought the myth and didn’t watch much of Stroud outside of that one game. As I pointed out in my pre-draft evaluation of Stroud, whatever issues he had, throwing outside the pocket wasn’t one of them.
tired: i never saw c.j. stroud throw outside the pocket except for the georgia game
wired: https://t.co/Ats7Lrr7yQ pic.twitter.com/W7u2tLarAN
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) November 26, 2023
Stroud had this amazing improvisatory touchdown to receiver Tank Dell against the Jaguars on Sunday…
CJ Stroud extends the play for another Tank Dell TD 🔥
📺: #JAXvsHOU on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/1dOevJjoZZ pic.twitter.com/M8Lz8Oft0O— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2023
He also had this 40-yard zinger to Dell against the Cardinals last Sunday.
Coming into the Jaguars game, Stroud had completed 25 of 59 passes outside the pocket this season for 413 yards, 321 air yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 72.2. Not bad for a rookie.
So, if we can finally dispense with the notion that Stroud couldn’t win outside the pocket, that’d be great, okay?
