Texans OC Bobby Slowik lays out a rare trait C.J. Stroud possesses

Bobby Slowik has worked with rookie quarterbacks.

In 2021, Slowik was the pass game specialist for the San Francisco 49ers, who drafted first-rounder Trey Lance that April. In 2022, Slowik’s title slightly shifted to passing game coordinator, but largely his responsibilities were the same under coach Kyle Shanahan. Slowik also worked directly with seventh-round pick Brock Purdy.

However, it wasn’t just the 49ers’ rookies the past two seasons Slowik worked with; he also had to have an understanding of their peers throughout the draft process.

The Houston Texans’ first-year offensive coordinator has enough body of evidence to identify what has made C.J. Stroud successful through his first four starts, and it relates to how the No. 2 overall pick uses his eyes to look off defenders.

“As a rookie, I would say that he’s really good because he knows when and why, which I think is rare for a rookie,” Slowik told reporters Oct. 5. “A lot of times — like in college, he definitely did it. Without a doubt, it showed up on his college tape.”

Even the Zoom calls and Stroud’s 30 visit conveyed enough insight that the Ohio State product knew how to utilize such a unique trait.

Said Slowik: “You could tell he had a good understanding in college of why he was trying to look somebody off, and then that’s only grown since he’s gotten to the NFL and growing within our scheme, where I think initially when we first got to camp, you go through this period where you get so used to doing it that it’s a little too much and then you bring it back to balance it out and then it starts growing again.”

With the regular season rotating in a different teach each week with various schemes, the ability to understand how to use one’s eyes becomes more revealing.

“This is why I may want to put this defender here and it just keeps building and building,” said Slowik. “Obviously, you get in a game playing situation, and you attack specific coverages and specific defenders — he’s been awesome in that regard.”

Stroud is one of two quarterbacks this season to have thrown for over 1,000 yards with no interceptions. The other is Purdy.