C.J. Stroud is already climbing fast through the Texans’ record book, and 2026 could push him even closer to the top.
The Houston quarterback has put together a strong start to his career, and his place in franchise history is already starting to look serious. ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime recently noted that Stroud enters the season with a real chance to move up in several key passing categories, adding another layer to what has already been an impressive three-year run in Houston.
Right now, Stroud has 10,876 career passing yards, which puts him fourth in Texans history. David Carr sits ahead of him with 13,391, leaving Stroud 2,515 yards short of that spot. Bien-Aime also pointed out that if Stroud throws for 3,663 yards in 2026, he would jump past Deshaun Watson’s 14,539 yards and move into second place all-time for the franchise.
That kind of yardage is well within reach. Stroud already showed what he can do in 2023, when he passed for 4,108 yards as a rookie.
Matt Schaub still owns the franchise’s top spot by a wide margin with 23,221 passing yards, but Stroud is only getting started. If he stays in Houston long enough, that record could eventually enter the conversation too.
The touchdown list is a different story, though Stroud still has room to move there as well. He has 62 career touchdown passes, good for third in Texans history. Watson is second with 104, and Schaub leads the way with 124.
Getting past Watson in 2026 would take a monster year. Stroud would need at least 43 touchdown passes to do it, which would set a new career high and put him in elite company statistically. That climb looks tougher than the yardage chase, but the numbers still tell a clear story: if Stroud keeps rising on these lists, the Texans offense is doing plenty right.
He has already won a playoff game in each of his first three seasons as Houston’s starting quarterback, and that alone has changed the feel around the franchise. Now he has a shot to add more history to the resume, one passing milestone at a time.
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