Ruled Out: Who is replacing Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud in Week 15 vs Tennessee Titans?

As the Houston Texans prepare for their critical Week 15 clash with their division rivals, the Tennessee Titans, they will do so without their starting quarterback, C.J. Stroud, who hasn’t practiced once this week.

Texans rule out C.J. Stroud for Week 15 game vs Titans

According to a team announcement on Saturday, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has been officially ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. If you missed it, Stroud suffered an injury during last weekend’s 30-6 loss to the New York Jets. The unfortunate moment came with just under seven minutes to go in the game. It was on a second-and-10 play from the Houston 25-yard line when Stroud completed a six-yard pass to wide receiver John Metchie III. Though he made the pass, he was unable to avoid the oncoming tackle from Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams who took him to the ground.

You may have seen our previous report, in which Stroud was listed as doubtful to play after the injury, with head coach DeMeco Ryans indicating that the 22-year-old had suffered a concussion. It is now understood that Stroud remains in concussion protocol having not cleared the five league-mandated phases that players must face. To that end, he didn’t even travel to Nashville with his team. To be clear, Stroud will require a clean evaluation from an independent neurologist to be eligible for full participation.

So who do the Texans turn to at quarterback?

As things stood, it was a choice between Case Keenum and Davis Mills. Speaking on Friday Ryans didn’t go as far as to say which of his backup quarterbacks would start, but he did speak to the preparation that both players have been going through as well as the wider team. “Both guys have prepared all week, just like every position,” the Texans’ head coach said. “Everybody has prepared. I told everybody on Wednesday, everybody needs to prepare as a starter, and that’s how we approach it. That’s kind of how our season has gone. We need everybody.” Ultimately, that decision was made, and as you can see below, Ryans has decided to go with Keenum.

Though he hasn’t seen any minutes this season - he’s the team’s failsafe QB - Keenum has a little experience as a starter under his belt. Back in 2021, he relieved then Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield for two games, registering a 2-0 record as he threw for three touchdowns and one interception. Truth be told, it was Keenum who reportedly took the large majority of the first-team snaps during training this week. That would suggest it was always going to be him. As for Mills, the 25-year-old has was the one chosen to replace Stroud when the need arose during the loss to the Jets. Across his last two seasons with the Texans, he has started on 26 occasions registering a 5-20-1 record, while throwing for 5,802 yards with 33 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. Is Keenum the right choice? That remains to be seen, but it goes without saying that whether it was him or Mills, a big game is needed on Sunday.