C.J. Stroud has already spent months taking heat for how his season ended, and now one of the most respected voices in Texans history has joined the conversation.
Andre Johnson, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and Texans Ring of Honor member, said on the “LGND TLK” podcast with Kendrick Perkins that one part of Stroud’s game stands out to him in a bad way: the quarterback’s body language.
“His body language is bad,” Johnson said of Stroud. “Any time something happens, it’s like… He has bad body language.”
Johnson pointed to that issue as something that bothers him when he watches Houston play, and he said it was especially noticeable in the postseason loss to New England. In his view, it matters because of the role Stroud holds at the center of the offense.
“Me being a former player, your quarterback having that kind of body language is bad because other guys look at you as the quarterback, so when they see you feeling a certain way or your body language is a certain way, it kind of trickles down to the team,” Johnson continued. “I'd say that's the biggest thing that bothers me when I watch the team play.”
The criticism lands at a time when Stroud is already under pressure. Houston’s third season in 2025 was uneven, and his divisional-round performance against the New England Patriots brought a rough postseason finish. Now he heads into a pivotal 2026 season with contractual and Super Bowl stakes hanging over him.
Johnson’s comments only add another layer to the scrutiny surrounding Stroud as he tries to answer all the noise coming his way.
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Andre Johnson's C.J. Stroud Criticism Suddenly Looks Much Different
Andre Johnsons comments about C.J. Strouds body language and leadership landed like a pointed reminder from one of the franchises most respected voices, especially for a quarterback still learning how to carry a team through the grind of an NFL season. Stroud responded the way a young starter usually does when a legend speaks up: he acknowledged the critique, said he was working to manage his emotions better, and made it clear he was trying to keep his mindset positive as the Texans navigated the fallout.
What makes the whole exchange more interesting is how Stroud answered on the field in Houstons recent game against the Bills. The performance gave the Texans a different kind of evidence to weigh, since the criticism was aimed less at numbers than at presence, poise and leadership. For a team trying to build around a quarterback who already has the talent, the question now is whether the public message from Johnson becomes a useful push or just another layer of pressure on a player still defining his voice. [Read more 🡒]
CJ Stroud Is Already Fueling A Texans Receiver Storyline
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Bouttes first game with Houston was modest, but the timing matters with Week 2 coming against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Texans are preparing for a bigger role for the receiver, and if Stroud is already making sure his arrival is noticed, the next step will be seeing whether that early belief turns into production on the field. [Read more 🡒]