The Houston Texans, according to PFF, have the worst offensive line in the NFL. CJ Stroud struggled in his second year in the league and looks set for another difficult campaign.
Stroud endured an almighty sophomore slump in 2024 after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. His passing yards per game dropped by 54.7, his interception rate increased from 1% to 2.3%, and his yards gained per passing attempted decreased from 8.2 to 7.0.
Seventeen quarterbacks amassed more fantasy football points than Stroud last season. He was QB11 in 2023, despite playing only 15 regular-season games. Only four quarterbacks were drafted higher than the Texans star ahead of last season, but he’s down as QB18 according to his Fantasy Pros ADP for the 2025 campaign.
PFF described the Texans’ offensive line in 2024 as ‘shaky.’ The losses of Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason are noted as the main reason Houston will have the worst offensive line in the NFL in 2025.
Stroud’s Alarming 2024
Stroud’s 2024 numbers were ugly across the board. He threw 35 fewer completed air yards per game and saw an increase in the number of passes thrown away. When he did manage to get a pass on target, he was let down by his receivers with their drop rate increasing from 3.8% to 5.1%.
Houston didn’t do a good job at protecting their young quarterback last season. His pressure rate was 28% (an increase of six percentage points from 2023). He was hurried 3.88 times per game (up from 3.13 in the previous season). The result was more scrambles, more hits, and a significant increase in sack rate.
Caleb Williams was the only quarterback to take more sacks than Stroud in 2024. Houston’s offensive line is fortunate Stroud is so mobile; otherwise he would have taken far more hits. The Texans allowed the highest pressure rate in the league and only the Cleveland Browns saw their quarterback face pressure more often.
It’s not surprising Stroud saw his bad throw rate increase. His intended air yards decreased by 42.5 per game, largely because he wasn’t getting the necessary protection to make throws downfield.
Fantasy Outlook
Stroud could be a top 10 fantasy quarterback, even with a below-average offensive line. Houston has an exciting receiving corps, featuring Dalton Schultz, Nico Collins, and Christian Kirk. Tank Dell should be available in the second half of the regular season.
There is considerable downside for anyone drafting Stroud, however. No amount of offensive weapons can compensate for having the worst offensive line in the league. If the offensive line is as bad as last year, Stroud isn’t going to be any higher than QB15. He won’t have time in the pocket to make use of his receivers, and he’ll end up taking far too many hits.
Anyone taking Stroud in the top 12 quarterbacks is putting far too much faith in an unimpressive offensive line depth chart.
