Congratulation: C.J. Stroud Has Been Come The First NFL Player In American Football History That….

Reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud led his Houston Texans to a division title this past season.

It was an absolutely tremendous performance from the former No. 2 overall pick as Houston turned things around big time under first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans.

With that said, Stroud has to know he’ll have a target on his back as a sophomore this coming season. That includes Houston’s AFC South rivals.

Indianapolis Colts star linebacker Zaire Franklin took this to a new level during a recent appearance on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast. Long asked Franklin if he had a beef with the Tennessee Titans. His response was eye-opening.

“No, because I already smacked them (the Titans) a couple times,” Franklin said of C.J. Stroud. “It really be Houston. I’m not going to lie to you, I like C.J., man, I support all our young brothers at quarterback, but C.J., he done said a lot of wild stuff to me in our run-ins. He is feeling himself. I need to see that boy again.”

We’re not 100% sure what Franklin means by saying Stroud did some “wild stuff.” Trash-talking or something else?

Stroud and the Titans went 1-1 against Indianapolis a season ago. The Colts won in Week 2 by the score of 31-20 with Stroud throwing for 384 yards and two touchdowns. Houston returned the favor in Week 18 to clinch the division against Indianapolis.

Seven of the Houston Texans’ 2024 draft picks have signed their first NFL contracts, including Kamari Lassiter and Marcus Harris.

A cornerback from American Christian Academy in Tuscaloosa, Lassiter joined Houston in the second round of the draft on April 25.

As the 42nd pick, Lassiter signed a four-year contract worth a reported $9.015 million.

All drafted players receive four-year contracts. The values of those contracts are based on the pick number, the NFL’s salary cap of $255.4 million for the 2024 season and this year’s rookie compensation pool in a formula spelled out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and its players association.

The Texans began their two-day rookie minicamp on Friday for their draft picks, newly signed undrafted rookies, tryout candidates and qualifying second-year players.

May 10th, 2024 at 6:54pm CST by Ely Allen
Friday’s minor transactions as we head into the weekend:

Atlanta Falcons

Signed: WR Dylan Drummond
Buffalo Bills

Deemed international roster exemption: T Travis Clayton
Carolina Panthers

Released: RB Tarik Cohen
Waived: WR Jalen Camp, TE Chris Pierce Jr.
Waived (with injured designation): RB Spencer Brown, T Ilm Manning, DT Raequan Williams
Waived (with non-football injury designation): CB AJ Parker
Dallas Cowboys

Deemed international roster exemption: DT Denzel Daxon
Denver Broncos

Deemed international roster exemption: TE Thomas Yassmin
Houston Texans

Waived: RB Gerrid Doaks
Indianapolis Colts

Waived: WR Terrell Bynum
Miami Dolphins

Deemed international roster exemption: T Bayron Matos
New York Giants

Waived (with injured designation): RB Deon Jackson
Cohen hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since his time in Chicago, where he earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors as a punt returner, ended in 2020. The North Carolina A&T product had been part of an effective 1-2 punch with Jordan Howard but saw his role diminish with the arrival of David Montgomery in 2019. Since then, injuries have limited the explosive rusher’s ability to make an impact.