C.J. Stroud has taken flight as a young member of the Houston Texans. While he has done the impossible in building momentum as a rookie, he has also entered into a new problem.

Speaking on The Insiders on Wednesday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport cautioned the Texans and Stroud against hubris.

“QB CJ Stroud has heard plenty of praise this offseason. That’s part of the challenge,” Rapoport posted on Twitter/X in addition to a clip of the show.

In the clip, Rapoport said in many more words that Stroud’s opponents know that he’s coming this year. Last year, he went “under the radar,” as an unknown. Now, the Texans have a target on their back, and their opponents will be bringing their A-game.

C.J. Stroud’s quarterback rankings reveal battle against hubris

The downfall of too many stars is buying into the hype surrounding themselves.

With Stroud making not one, but two of his own top quarterback ranking lists this offseason, he has done something few active quarterbacks have.

Stroud’s rankings have run the risk of ticking off every player not mentioned in his top five.

According to CBS Sports, Stroud ranked Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, himself, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, and Josh Allen as his top five signal-callers. One ranking was given on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast. The other was posted on his Instagram.

It is one thing to rank quarterbacks on a podcast on impulse. However, it is another to post a ranking of one’s colleagues on their social media. As such, more than many breakout players, Stroud has lit a fire under every quarterback he did not name. Even with the quarterbacks he has named, some might have an issue with the order in which he said it.

At the same time that his battle against hubris is raging, defenses are looking for weaknesses in Stroud’s game.

In every battle of 2024, another team will try a new tactic to narrow down his preferred style of play. If he isn’t careful in developing new traits or practicing his second-level tricks, he is in danger of seeing all of his momentum go out the window. If that happens, the Texans could be one of the biggest negative shocks of the 2024 season.

Could C.J. Stroud’s newfound confidence at the NFL level be his downfall?

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