C.J. Stroud to start for Texans in preseason opener

The No. 2 pick in this year's NFL draft is getting first dibs on winning the starting quarterback job in Houston.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday that C.J. Stroud will get the start in Thursday night's preseason opener against the host New England Patriots.

Stroud is locked in a battle with incumbent starter Davis Mills for the No. 1 job. The game will also mark Ryans' first game as head coach of the Texans.

Ryans told NFL Network that Stroud would start but he didn't say how many series the rookie will play before giving way to Mills.

Stroud, 21, finished third in the 2022 Heisman Trophy voting after passing for 3,688 yards with 41 touchdowns and six interceptions in 13 games for Ohio State.

He has embraced the training camp challenge with Mills, one of the more intriguing position battles in the league. Veteran Case Keenum is also on the team.

"I don't want anything given to me. I want to earn everything," Stroud told reporters last week. "Davis is a great quarterback, and so is Case. And honestly, we're not focused on that. We're just focused on getting better and better and better because at the end of the day, if you focus on trying to do something extra or do this here and there, that's when you start confusing yourself and doing what's out of the playbook and making mistakes."

Mills, 24, went 3-10-1 as the starter in 2022, throwing for 3,118 yards with 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He's 5-19-1 as the starter since being drafted in the third round in 2021.