The Los Angeles Rams will wrap up their preseason schedule with a game against the Houston Texans on Saturday at NRG Stadium.
The Texans are a team on the rise largely due to the excellent play of quarterback C.J. Stroud. The former No. 2 overall draft pick enjoyed a phenomenal year in 2023 en route to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
The Rams and Texans held a joint practice on Thursday ahead of their preseason finale, which gave Stroud a chance to connect with Matthew Stafford. Stroud had nothing but good things to say about the veteran, and the feelings are mutual.
“It’s likewise for me. I’m a huge fan of watching him play,” Stafford said of Stroud. “[He] throws the ball with ease, plays with like a really calm aggression. His first touchdown to [Texans WR] Tank Dell letter of the law in the preseason this year.
“That’s buzz coverage right into a dagger window. Usually not throwing that ball, but hey, they didn’t play it as well as they could, and he fit in there for a touchdown. That’s playing ball in an aggressive way, but smart.
“I’ll let him know that I thought it was a pretty sweet play. He plays at a really high level, especially for a young kid. They have a lot of talent around him which is a lot of fun to watch and he does a great job of getting those guys the ball.”
Rams’ Matthew Stafford humbled that quarterbacks model their game after him
Stroud isn’t the only player who has praised Stafford as Chicago Bears’ No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams deemed the Rams signal-caller one of the two best quarterbacks in the NFL.
“It’s humbling. I remember being in their shoes thinking the same thing about [Hall of Fame QB] Brett Favre and [Hall of Fame QB] Peyton Manning when I got to go against those guys at the beginning of my career,” Stafford said.
“I’m not putting myself in that same breath, but the older guys. It was a really cool experience. I’ll never forget playing Brett when he was in Minnesota and I was in Detroit, and he came up to me and was like, ‘Hey man, I’m a big fan.’
“I’m like, ‘You can’t say that to me, right? I’m the fan of you. I’ve been watching you play for forever.’ So it is cool. It’s humbling that these guys are paying attention and as big of fans as they might be of me, I wish nothing but the best for those guys.
“This position is hard. It’s humbling. It’s difficult. There are ups [and] there are downs. Guys that play this position for a long time know you have to stick together and pull for each other so I’m pulling for those guys.”
