With the recent departure of Houston Texans quarterback coach Jerrod Johnson, it’s only natural that the whispers of another internal power shift will rear their head.
The truth is, the Texans sitting on their hands after a third straight playoff appearance was never going to be on the agenda, particularly after the Texans flopped as they did on the offensive end against the New England Patriots in the playoffs.
While there’s little doubt that the subsequent appointment of Jerry Schuplinski to take over Johnson’s duties has been done to turn around the stagnating development of quarterback C.J. Stroud, the plot definitely thickens thereafter.
Of course, time will tell whether the decision was the right one, but in the meantime we must explore more fully if Schuplinski is an exacting fit to get Stroud firing on all cylinders once again.
Ryan Fitzpatrick Likes Texans’ HIre of Jerry Schuplinski
As far as evidence goes, former Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick knows how Schuplinski works; and he loves what he brings to the table.
“It worked well with me because he sees the game as a quarterback,” Fitzpatrick said of Schuplinski’s background. It’s not just understanding what we do at wide receiver, tight end or offensive line. He understands conceptually everything that’s going on, which sounds simple but there aren’t a lot of coaches who see it that way.
Furthermore, offensive coordinator Nick Caley was always going to be fated to play a pivotal role in working with Stroud, especially as the partnership moves into year two together.
In the modern-day NFL, it requires a special team to get hands-on with any young signal-caller— which often means that plenty of old alliances will eventually come to bear to get the most out of their aspiring franchise quarterback.
For the Texans, that means previous New England Patriots connections that exist between Caley, Schuplinski, and general manager Nick Caserio have bubbled to the surface in hopes of squeezing the most out of Stroud.
Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws in the first quarter against the New England Patriots in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Schuplinski’s appointment gives off the distinct vibe that Caley advocated rather convincingly to be allowed to assemble the chess pieces as he deemed necessary to work alongside Stroud. Johnson’s failure to get the most out of Stroud, when coupled with the high-profile playoff failure, made his position very shaky.
As for how the future might look, the entire process of rebooting Stroud into the kind of cerebral presence that the Texans are looking for has just gotten magnified, which makes the outlook for the 2026 campaign a whole lot more interesting.