The Houston Texans fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowick this offseason and hired Nick Caley in part to help quarterback C.J. Stroud take the next step in his career.
The 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year spoke for the first time about the OC change on Monday, saying Caley's system will allow him to take "control" of the offense at the line of scrimmage -- something that Slowick's scheme didn't ask of the QB.
"Taking control and being a little more pre-snap, having tools to put my guys in the best position. That is something that we really didn't work on these last two years," Stroud said, via the team's official transcript. "... So, I will be able to put my swag on it, have fun with it. He is all about me taking full ownership, running the show, and that's what I want. So, it's really been really cool just to see that he's bought into me and he doesn't really know me well yet. He talked about today having blind trust and I have a lot of trust in him already. Just how he talks and how he presents in the room is really cool to see."
Caley got his start in New England in 2015, where Tom Brady ran the show, and spent the last two seasons in Los Angeles under Sean McVay, working with Matthew Stafford as the pass game coordinator in 2024.
Part of Stroud's maturation process will come from taking more ownership of the offense. The Shanahan scheme, where Slowick came from, doesn't ask the QB to make a trove of checks and changes. Generally, the answers are built into the play. Last year, the Texans offense rarely found the right answer. The struggling offensive line played a role in those issues.
It's natural for young quarterbacks to go through ebbs and flows in their careers. After a Superman-like rookie campaign, Stroud is coming off a down second season. The hope in Houston is that Caley jumpstarts the offense. Putting more on Stroud's plate sounds like a welcome plan for the QB.
