Who Should I Start? C.J. Stroud or Cameron Ward

Tuesday, September 30, 9:57 AM

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud helped his team get their first win of the season in Week 4 by trouncing the hapless Titans, 26-0. It could be more than just a win, though, since it could signify a major step forward for Stroud, according to Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle. Warren points specifically to Stroud's audible and adjustment on his 24-yard touchdown strike to rookie Jayden Higgins as a potential breakthrough moment for the young QB in the system of new offensive coordinator Nick Caley. The Texans lost three straight games by one score to the Rams, Bucs, and Jags to start the season before rolling over the Titans. With their defense playing so well, the offense only has to improve a little bit to start piling up wins. Stroud struggled in the first three games of the season but looked better against the Titans. How much of that was the opponent? We'll start to get our answer in Week 5, since Stroud and the Texans head to Baltimore for a tough road matchup on Sunday before their bye week in Week 6.

Tuesday, September 30, 12:21 PM

Tennessee Titans quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree said that rookie first-round QB Cameron Ward is "growing every week," and that he's "seeing improvement," according to Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. It didn't really look like Ward took a step forward in the 26-0 shutout loss in Week 4 to the Houston Texans, a game in which the first overall pick went 10-for-26 for 108 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. The 23-year-old Miami product has looked overwhelmed so far in his first four NFL starts, completing only 51.2% of his 125 pass attempts for 614 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He's also run the ball nine times for 42 yards. Ward might be adapting to the speed of the game slowly, but right now, there have been more negatives than positives, and he's failed to find much of a connection with top wideout Calvin Ridley.