{"id":851916,"date":"2026-04-03T20:39:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T20:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/851916\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T20:39:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T20:39:23","slug":"texans-c-j-stroud-draws-attention-with-david-montgomery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/851916\/","title":{"rendered":"Texans\u2019 C.J. Stroud Draws Attention With David Montgomery"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"C.J.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans is interviewed after his team defeated the Indianapolis Colts.<\/p>\n

The spotlight on C.J. Stroud<\/a> has never been brighter as he heads into his fourth season in the NFL with the Houston Texans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The former No. 2 overall pick has been under intense scrutiny following the end of this past season, and he has remained visible in varying ways this offseason, including with new teammate and Texans running back David Montgomery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stroud has also made another noteworthy change to his appearance.<\/p>\n

C.J. Stroud Drawing Attention During Offseason\"C.J.<\/p>\n

GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans looks on before a game against the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTexans QB C.J. Stroud & new RB David Montgomery together at the StBrownGala in Los Angeles,\u201d Sleeper\u2019s Jacob posted<\/a> on X on April 3.<\/p>\n

The event, hosted by Montgomery\u2019s former Detroit Lions<\/a> teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown<\/a>, along with his brothers, Equanimeous<\/a> and Osiris<\/a>. Several current and former NFL players attended<\/a>, including Caleb Williams<\/a>, Jahmyr Gibbs<\/a>, Keenan Allen<\/a>, Marvin Jones Jr.<\/a>, and Rome Odunze<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stroud was photographed alongside a smiling Montgomery in one set of images<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Texans QB C.J. Stroud & new RB David Montgomery together at the StBrownGala in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf8: (keyonkeyon on Instagram) <\/p>\n

Stroud, a California native, building chemistry with his new teammate should come as no surprise following comments from Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the first guy like, \u2018Can I get a guy number? Can I reach out? He wants to reach out to those guys and really welcome them to the Texans family. And it means so much to him, and it means so much to us,\u201d Ryans told reporters<\/a> at the owners meeting in Arizona this past week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know from a free agent\u2019s perspective, or a new guy going into a new situation, when you hear from the starting quarterback from that team, that carries a lot of weight. So, I\u2019m really thankful for him, and his mindset of having that on his mind, while he\u2019s working, \u2018I want to make sure I welcome all of our new teammates in the right way.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Montgomery spoke about Stroud reaching out to him after the Texans acquired him in the trade with the Lions this offseason.<\/p>\n

The optics are good, but the Texans need Stroud to bounce back from his playoff showing.<\/p>\n

C.J. Stroud Gets \u2018Year to Year\u2019 Forecast\"C.J.<\/p>\n

GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans warms up before facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stroud, who also drew attention for his apparent new chest tattoos<\/a> and his beard, remains a source of intrigue heading into the final year of his rookie contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think (GM Nick) Caserio<\/a> is going to let it go year to year,\u201d an anonymous executive said, per The Athletic\u2019s Mike Sando<\/a> on April 2. \u201cHe very well may be inclined to draft another guy. It could be another year of Davis Mills<\/a> (as the backup), and then Caserio drafts another quarterback.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mills stepped in for Stroud when the Texans\u2019 starter missed three games due to a concussion.<\/p>\n

Mills went 3-0 in Stroud\u2019s stead. However, the Texans drafted Stroud with Mills already on the roster. They turned right back to the latter once he was fully recovered from his head injury.<\/p>\n

Mills is in the final year of his contract, but the Texans also used a sixth-round pick on Graham Mertz<\/a> in the 2025 draft. Mills is more likely to be a trade candidate than the Texans\u2019 future starter at quarterback.<\/p>\n

That still leaves questions about the Texans\u2019 plans for Stroud.<\/p>\n

Houston is expected to pick up Stroud\u2019s fifth-year option. That keeps him under team control through 2027. The Texans can still use the franchise tag up to three times after that.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tJosh Buckhalter<\/a> covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

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