Houston’s Stroud and Ryans have transformed a post-Deshaun Watson wasteland

The Texans were adrift after a series of bad trades and a fallout with their former star. Their new head coach and quarterback have been a revelation

Before this year's draft, most experts had CJ Stroud as the most NFL-ready quarterback available. That may have been a historic understatement. At the moment, Stroud is the clear-cut offensive rookie of the year favorite and has helped turn the Houston Texans into a playoff contender.

The Texans had the second pick in the 2023 draft after going 3-13 the previous year. After the Carolina Panthers made the safe choice of selecting Bryce Young at No 1, Houston made the obvious move of selecting Stroud with the idea that he could start immediately. Oh boy, could he, it turns out! After Sunday's 30-27 road win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Texans are now 5-4 and in pole position for the final AFC wildcard spot.