Video: Rams' Matthew Stafford Praises C.J. Stroud, Says He's 'Huge Fan' of Texans QB

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is entering his second season in the NFL and has already impressed a notable veteran.

"I'm a huge fan of watching him play," Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said of Stroud after the teams' joint practice on Thursday. "Throws the ball with ease, plays with a really calm aggression, which I like. … He plays at a really high level, especially for a young kid. They've got a lot around him, which is a lot of fun to watch. And he does a great job of getting those guys the ball."

The two teams face each other in Saturday's preseason contest, although that game will be defined by backup players fighting for roster spots instead of the star quarterbacks.

That's why the joint practices are beneficial for starters who don't play significant minutes in the preseason, and the respect was mutual following the session.

"The first thing that jumps out for me about him is his toughness," Stroud said of Stafford. "He's tough as hell. … Just how he manipulates guys with his eyes, his drops, his arm angles. I've been a fan of Matt Stafford for a long time. I wasn't trying to be a fanboy today, but I asked him a lot of questions. I tried to just learn."

Stroud also called Stafford "one of my favorite quarterbacks of all-time."

While the Texans signal-caller still has a ways to go to catch up to Stafford's resume that includes a Super Bowl title and nine seasons of more than 4,000 passing yards, he got off to an excellent start as a rookie

Stroud won the Offensive Rookie of the Year and led the Texans to the playoffs last season while completing 63.9 percent of his passes for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. The team exceeded all expectations and made the postseason for the first time since the 2019 campaign.

Expectations are now even higher after Houston added Stefon Diggs this offseason, and it will be up to Stroud to live up to them.

Ideally for Texans fans, he can apply some of the things he learned from Stafford during the joint practice.