15 Most Impactful Texans of 2023: No. 1 C.J. Stroud

The Houston Texans had an extremely successful 2023 campaign.

Houston cruised to a 10-7 record under new head coach DeMeco Ryans and captured several accolades along the way. The Texans won the AFC South and won a playoff game for the first time since the 2019 season. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, rookie edge rusher Will Anderson won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and even Ryans took home hardware with PFWA’s Coach of the Year before he finished second in the NFL Coach of the Year.

With a revamped team effort that led to dramatic improvements compared to both the 2021 and 2022 Texans, it’s worth examining who created that impact this past season and what their future projects moving forward.

This series has taken a look at defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, running back Devin Singletary, rookie receiver Tank Dell, veteran tackle George Fant and upstart linebacker Blake Cashman.

Entering the top 10, we took a closer look at cornerback Steven Nelson, linebacker Christian Harris, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, franchise left tackle Laremy Tunsil and budding shutdown cornerback Derek Stingley

The top five included third year wideout Nico Collins, who received due praise for his breakout year, alongside fourth-year edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson came in at No. 3.

DeMeco Ryans finished second, so now it’s time to talk about the Most Impactful Texan of 2023: Franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud.