The NFL is stacked with talented quarterbacks at the moment with a deep crop of elite QBs capable of leading their teams to Super Bowls as well as a stellar rookie class featuring six of the top 12 picks in the most recent draft.
Expectations are high across the board, but one analyst thinks one quarterback’s expectations are higher than anyone else’s after a stellar rookie season.
Sam Acho went on First Take today and said that Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud has the highest expectations in the league, saying that coming off an Offensive Rookie of the Year performance and trading for Stefon Diggs in the offseason, he has set the bar high.
.@TheSamAcho says C.J. Stroud is the QB with the highest expectations 💪 pic.twitter.com/MTYoB3jG3h
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 5, 2024
Acho added that Stroud has the benefit of having so much continuity with his coaching staff, as offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is returning despite taking head coaching interviews in the offseason.
Joe Mixon has also been added to the running back room, and Stroud now has all the weapons he needs at his disposal to follow up on an impressive rookie year.
Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions as a rookie and led the team to a playoff victory over the Cleveland Browns by throwing three touchdowns in that game as well.
The Texans have their work cut out for them in the loaded AFC and will have to deal with three revamped division foes just to win the AFC South again.
Trading for Diggs helped elevate Josh Allen into one of the league’s elite QBs, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can help Stroud get to that same level.
