After the Houston Texans' victory over the Chicago Bears, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud shared words of encouragement with Bears rookie Caleb Williams, urging him to protect himself and learn from his mistakes.
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Stroud's Encouragement for Williams: "Stop Taking Those Hits
In a heartwarming moment captured on social media, C.J. Stroud, the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, offered some valuable advice to Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, after Houston's 19-13 win over Chicago.
"Good job out there, bro," Stroud said to Williams. "Hey, stop taking those hits."
Williams acknowledged Stroud's concern, saying, "Yeah, I know, right?"
As Williams turned to leave, Stroud pulled him back to emphasize the importance of playing smart.
"Hey, learn — look, come here," Stroud said. "Learn from those mistakes. And everything that you got, bro, is in you already, bro. You're going to be a hell of a player in this league."
Williams expressed his appreciation, saying, "I appreciate it."
Williams' performance against the Texans was challenging, as he was sacked seven times and pressured 36 times. The Texans also recorded 11 quarterback hits. Despite carrying the ball five times for a team-high 44 yards, Williams slid at the end of some runs to avoid further contact.
Through two starts, Williams has completed only 56.1% of his passes and has yet to throw a touchdown. Against the Texans, he went 23-of-37 passing for 174 yards, an improvement from the 93-yard performance he had in a Week 1 win against the Tennessee Titans. However, Williams also threw the first two interceptions of his career in Sunday's loss.
While Williams' career is still in its infancy, he can draw inspiration from Stroud, who also faced early challenges but improved throughout his rookie year. Stroud lost the first two starts of his NFL career by double digits and was sacked 11 times in those games.
However, Stroud turned things around, throwing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions with a 100.8 passer rating. He capped off one of the best rookie quarterback seasons ever, leading the Texans to a 10-7 record and a postseason win.
Williams and the Bears aspire to achieve similar success as Stroud and the Texans. To reach that goal, they must find ways to protect Williams from excessive hits and capitalize on his potential. Stroud's advice on playing smart and learning from mistakes serves as a valuable guide for Williams' development as a young NFL quarterback.
