Texans name C.J. Stroud starting quarterback vs. Patriots in preseason opener
FOXBORO -- We don't yet know who will start at quarterback for the Patriots in Thursday night's preseason opener. But we do know who the New England defense will face when they take the field against the Houston Texans.
That will be No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud, who was tagged as Houston's starter by Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans on Monday.
Houston drafted Stroud out of Ohio State to be the next franchise quarterback, and he's getting thrown right into the mix in his first professional game. Stroud is coming off a stellar season for the Buckeyes, completing 66 percent of his passes for 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Davis Mills, who has started 26 games for Houston over the last two seasons, will back up Stroud on Thursday night.
The Patriots haven't announced their starting QB for Thursday night, but it's unlikely that we'll see a ton of offensive starters on the New England side. The Pats are operating with a patchwork offensive line because of injuries to several starters, so chances are we'll see a lot of Bailey Zappe, Trace McSorely, and maybe even Malik Cunningham at quarterback in the exhibition opener.
Tune in to Thursday night's Patriots-Texans preseason game on WBZ-TV -- your official station of the New England Patriots! Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with Patriots GameDay, kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and stay tuned for Patriots 5th Quarter after the game. You can also catch Devin and Jason McCourty's special "Twincast" of the game streaming on WBZ.com!
