Texans Coach Sets To Depart From Team Due To the Outcome On…
Houston (AP) — In a crucial AFC matchup between Houston and Cleveland on Sunday, quarterback C.J. Stroud is still under the concussion protocol and may miss his second straight game.
Coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday that Stroud was doing better, but that he didn’t know when he’d be cleared to play.
“We’re following protocol, and every individual has a different concussion,” Ryans stated. As with anything else, healing takes a different length of time for each individual. Thus, he is simply following the same protocol as everyone else who has undergone the concussion protocol, and the most crucial thing is to ensure C.J.’s health. When he is ready to proceed, I will notify you all.
Stroud was injured Dec. 10 in a 30-6 loss to the Jets when his head bounced off the turf after taking a hit with about 6½ minutes left in the fourth quarter.
With Stroud out last week, the Texans started third-string quarterback Case Keenum over Davis Mills, the team’s starter for the two seasons before Stroud was drafted.
Keenum hadn’t started a game since the 2021 season and hadn’t played at all this season before throwing for 229 yards and a touchdown in a 19-16 win over Tennessee that kept Houston’s playoff hopes alive.
The Texans might have to rely on the 35-year-old Keenum again this week against the Browns (9-5), who are among several teams vying with Houston for a playoff spot.
Stroud’s absence is a big blow for a team trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The second overall pick is the biggest reason for Houston’s improvement this season and has thrown for 3,631 yards and 20 touchdowns with just five interceptions.
Browns will face an old friend ‘barring an unexpected improvement’ from C.J. Stroud vs. Texans
The Houston Texans’ rookie quarterback, C.J. Stroud, is dominating the league and making a name for himself as the overwhelming favorite to win offensive rookie of the year. However, it was Case Keenum who treated Stroud after he suffered a concussion against the Tennessee Titans a week ago, and it looks like the Cleveland Browns will face their former quarterback on Sunday as well.
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, Stroud is still experiencing symptoms from the concussion he suffered against the New York Jets. Wilson adds that Keenum is, “expected to start against the Cleveland Browns, his former team, on Sunday, barring an unexpected improvement in Stroud’s condition.”
In 2021, Keenum took over as starting quarterback for the Browns for two games, the first coming during a Thursday Night Primetime victory over the Denver Broncos. That season, Keenum went 2-0 as the starting quarterback for the brown and orange, throwing for 462 yards and three touchdowns.