JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Inside a victorious Texans locker room, tight end Brevin Jordan was reflecting back to last season when many were upset with the team for winning the final football game of the season.
That unlikely fourth-quarter comeback against the Indianapolis Colts engineered by current Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills on a touchdown pass and two-point conversion to tight end Jordan Akins set in motion a chain of events that led to the arrival of Texans standout rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Although the win cost the Texans the top overall pick and the chance to draft Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, now with the Carolina Panthers and sidelined with an ankle injury, they are thrilled with having Stroud, the second overall pick from Ohio State and a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, as their QB1.
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#Texans tight end Brevin Jordan @Brevinjordan on his first touchdown since his rookie season @Wasserman @SteveCaric @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/2IHMvywGWO
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 24, 2023
Stroud engineered a 37-17 upset victory Sunday over the Jacksonville Jaguars, passing for 280 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has set an NFL record in his first three games by throwing 121 passes without an interception. Stroud has 906 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in three starts and is off to the fastest start of all of the quarterbacks in this rookie class, including Young as he was drafted one spot ahead of him by Carolina after they traded with the Chicago Bears to obtain the top overall pick in exchange for wide receiver D.J. Moore and draft capital.
“That quarterback is unbelievable, man,” Jordan said. “I was just telling somebody on the sidelines the best thing to happen to the Houston Texans organization was us beating the Indianapolis Colts last year in the last game of last season. So, (No.) 7 is the guy, man. We rock behind him at all times.”
For Jordan, he was the recipient of one of Stroud’s trademark touch passes in the red zone. Jordan caught his first touchdown since the 2021 season when he caught three passes for scores as an NFL rookie.
“Eh, it’s been forever man,” Jordan said. “I just trusted the process, man. I kept my head down. I trusted my family, trusted Christ. It felt good to get in the end zone, it really did.”
A former fifth-round draft pick from the University of Miami, the Las Vegas native has four receptions for 40 yards this season. Jordan dealt with a lingering hamstring injury that sidelined him for the entire training camp. He still made the initial 53-man roster behind tight ends Dalton Schultz and Teagan Quitoriano.
“I’m just so glad,” Jordan said. “My first check mark for me was making the 53-man roster. I missed all of training camp. They trusted me to come in and make an impact for the team. Unbelievable feeling to get a win.”
For Stroud, having Jordan gives him another reliable option in the red zone and an athletic downfield target.
“I think it’s real big momentum for him,” Stroud said. “He’s a heck of a football player, a great person. He’s always checking up on people in just a positive light. That’s something you need in the locker room. To see him ball out every week, like he had a good week last week, he had a good week this week.
“He’s growing and growing just like we all are. He’s one of the first people that reached out to me when I got drafted. It’s good to have a natural connection with him as well. Shout out to Brev, man. He’s a real good dude to play with.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com