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The Houston Texans finished their Week 9 loss to the Denver Broncos without quarterback C.J. Stroud, who exited in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion and never returned after being ruled out, but the initial updates from his camp are encouraging. Stroud finished the contest with 79 yards on 6 for 10 passing. He took a hit from Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, and the QBs head hit the NRG Stadium turf hard. Stroud must complete the concussion protocol, which includes five steps, to play in Week 10. C.J. Stroud’s Mother Delivers Initial Update on Texans QB The hit on Stroud has sparked some discourse from Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, but the QB’s health – and status for Week 10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars – is of the utmost importance. The Texans lost to the Jaguars in Week 3. Stroud’s mother, Kimberly Stroud, provided a positive first update. “CJ is ok, thank you for your prayers [praying hands emoji],” Stroud’s mother captioned an image of them, presumably taken in the Texans’ locker room area, on Instagram after the game. Stroud missed two games in 2023, his Pro Bowl rookie season, due to a concussion. The Texans defeated the Tennessee Titans but lost to the Cleveland Browns in Weeks 15 and 16, respectively, that season. Stroud started all 17 regular-season games and the Texans’ Wild Card game last season. The Texans turned to Davis Mills after Stroud’s injury, but teammates were strongly impacted by QB1’s departure from the contest. Mills is 5-19-1 in his career as a starter, and posted a 137-0-0 line on 56.7% completion. His first drive was promising, but resulted in a sack and a field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn. The Texans were already clinging to Wild Card hopes with Stroud before falling to 3-5 on the season. C.J. Stroud Must Clear 5-Step Concussion Protocol Stroud has been through this before, but the Texans’ star cannot return to the field until he passes the NFL’s five-step concussion protocol. The five phases are symptom limited activity, aerobic exercise, football-specific exercise, club-based non-contact training drills, and, finally, full football activity/clearance. A returning player must still be cleared by an independent neurological consultant before game action. “Each player and each concussion is unique, and there is no set time-frame for return to participation,” the league’s official guide on concussion protocols reads. “Team medical staff consider the player’s current concussive injury, as well as past exposures and medical history, family history and future risk in managing a player’s care.” That is where Stroud’s past concussion could play a part. The Texans face the Titans after the Jaguars, but then must endure a gauntlet of hosting the Buffalo Bills before visiting the Indianapolis Colts and the Kansas City Chiefs. Stroud’s injury is the latest to strike the Texans, who have not had Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon or No. 2 wide receiver Tank Dell all season. They have shuffled through numerous tight ends, and saw to offensive linemen pick up injuries during the loss to the Broncos. Losing Stroud for an extended period would be the most devastating of all.
