The New England Patriots will face Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud in the preseason opener on Thursday night, per KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson.
Stroud was selected with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
He came to Houston after spending his collegiate career at Ohio State. He had a strong final season with the Buckeyes in 2022, when he tallied 3,688 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 games.
The quarterback has been working with the Texans’ first-team offense over the past three days, per Wilson. This will be Stroud’s first in-game opportunity at the NFL level.
C.J. Stroud to start against #Patriots after running first team offense exclusively in practice past three days @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 7, 2023
At the very least, this news should help the Patriots defense prepare in a real game-like setting. They know who the starter will be, and they can now prepare accordingly to the matchup.
For Patriots fans, it’s an opportunity to see a rookie standout matching wits with one of the league’s top defensive units on the road.
