Texans Tight End Says C.J. Stroud’s Struggles Weren’t All His Fault

Stroud had an up-and-down year, but Dalton Schultz said he has seen the young quarterback’s growth as a leader.

C.J. Stroud #7, Dalton Schultz #86, and Jaylin Noel #14 of the Houston Texans prior to the AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Jan. 18, 2026. Elsa/Getty Images

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz defended his quarterback after an up-and-down year in an interview published Feb. 18.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud had the worst season of his young career and performed erratically from game to game. It ended with a complete collapse in the NFL playoffs’ Divisional Round against the New England Patriots.

Schultz told former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker on his podcast that he has seen growth from his young signal-caller.

In the interview, Tucker asked Schultz if he talked to Stroud after the Texans’ 28-16 postseason loss to the Patriots. Schultz said he had, and offered words of encouragement that he also shared with the host.

“Everybody has a bad game. Everybody has a rough [day] at the office. And to be honest, not all that was on him. And everybody’s going to pin it on him because he’s the quarterback, and he understands that. We understand that. But I think what’s important is, separate yourself from that as who you are. One game doesn’t define you, good or bad. ... Own it, bro. The result is bad. We lost.”

Stroud went 20 of 47 passing for 212 yards, a touchdown, and four interceptions in the loss. His lone touchdown and all of his interceptions came in the first half. He was sacked three times.

But it was not all Stroud’s fault, as Schultz said. Schultz went down with a calf injury, for which he blamed himself. The Patriots’ defense was relentless, batting down 14 passes and hitting Stroud nine times.

“You think he throws some of those picks if he didn’t have a guy in his lap?” he said. “Everything is so entangled in football that it’s hard to put anything on one guy ever.”

The loss was a punctuation mark on a season marked by inconsistency. It was the worst statistical season of his three-year career: He went 273 of 423 passing for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions over 14 games. But he was sacked just 23 times, the lowest of his career.

His play was erratic from week to week throughout the season. In a Week 5 win over the Baltimore Ravens, Stroud completed 85.2 percent of his passes and threw four touchdowns; in Week 7 against the Seattle Seahawks, he completed just 46.9 percent of his passes; in Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers, he completed 76.9 percent of his passes for 318 yards, two scores, and a pick.

In Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he completed only 48 percent of his passes, but then completed 75.9 percent of his passes for 260 yards and three TDs against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14.

Stroud’s inconsistency prompted some criticism, which Schultz rejected.

“I don’t think that’s valid,” he said. “C.J.’s been the same guy since he’s been in the building, and at the end of the day, that’s my quarterback. I’m defending him till I freaking die.”

Because he is the quarterback, Stroud will shoulder the blame for the offense performing poorly, Schultz noted. But he said Stroud did not lose his edge or play with less aggression.

“I think people come in the league and light it on fire and have a ton of success, and it’s easy to get caught up in ‘That’s the standard. That’s it. That’s what we’re getting every year.’ Like, dude, it’s ball, bro. ... You’re not going to keep increasing every single year. You can, but ... it’s up and down.”

What Schultz has seen is Stroud’s growth as a leader, he said.

“It’s tough when you come in the league as a rookie quarterback,” he said. “And I told him this when he got in, ‘Dudes are going to look to you, whether you’re a leader or not. ... All the leadership duties, they fall onto you because you are the quarterback ... and you’ve got to be able to take that and lead with that and own that.’

“And I think just the last three years, [C.J.’s] grown tremendously on how he’s able to lead and how he’s able to inspire and what he’s able to do and to motivate.”