HOUSTON — The connection between quarterback C.J. Stroud and offensive coordinator Nick Caley strengthened over the offseason, a development evident to those around the Houston Texans, coach DeMeco Ryans said.
Caley served as a first-time playcaller last season and took on line-of-scrimmage responsibilities while working with revamped offensive personnel. The organization added offensive-line help and pieces to the running game in hopes of giving Caley more to work with.
The offense ranked 13th in points (23.8) and 18th in yards (327) last season, and Stroud finished with 3,041 passing yards and 19 touchdowns in 14 games. Stroud missed three games after suffering a concussion in Week 9 and played only half of the Week 18 finale, according to the team report.
Ryans said communication between Stroud and Caley has improved, noting that Year 2 of a system allows the team to speed up installation because players recall previous concepts. “With C.J. and Nick, I’ve seen both guys communicating much better,” Ryans said.
Caley described his relationship with Stroud as collaborative and said the pair have continued to dive deeper into the finer points of the offense. Stroud added he has watched a lot of film, introduced things he is used to, and worked to make pre-snap operation more consistent during OTAs and minicamp.
Ryans called the spring the best the Texans have looked since he arrived in 2023, citing improved communication across the roster. “The most improvement I’ve seen from our team is the pre-snap communication,” Ryans said, adding that the team is “playing smart, being a smarter football team and understanding situations better.”
