On August 20, CJ Stroud said, “In high school, I had a lot of ways to check protections, same in college. My coach put a lot on me, protection-wise, some of the alerts and audibles that we had. Our team ( Texans ) in the last years didn’t have those capabilities .” Stroud’s lack of ownership in the offense under former OC Bobby Slowik , coinciding with the OL failing to protect him, is what broke the Texans last year. And Stephen A. Smith believes that is precisely what can stop the Texans from reaching the AFC championship.

CJ Stroud spent too much of last season peeling himself off the turf, and Houston’s front office knew it. They’ve been trying to fix what was, by multiple measures, a porous offensive line. But will the fixes be enough to clear the path from “contender” to “

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