What Is C.J. Stroud's Injury Status for Texans vs. Titans amid Concussion Protocol?

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has been ruled out of his team's road game at the Tennessee Titans on Sunday as he remains in the concussion protocol.

Head coach DeMeco Ryans revealed the news to reporters on Thursday.

ESPN's Field Yates offered more information and a look ahead.

Stroud is in his third NFL season. He's completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns (five interceptions). The former Ohio State star has also thrown for 1,702 yards (7.0 yards per attempt).

Stroud suffered a concussion in an 18-15 loss to the Denver Broncos on Nov. 2. During the second quarter, Stroud scrambled for six yards in an attempt to get a first down. As he slid, cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine hit him in the chest. The hit knocked Stroud's upper body, including his head, onto the turf. Davis Mills replaced Stroud for the remainder of the game.

Stroud missed his team's Nov. 9 home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which resulted in a 36-29 win, due to concussion protocol. He did not practice leading up to the game.

Stroud also has not practiced this week leading up to his team's road game at the Titans.

This is Stroud's second diagnosed concussion in the NFL after he unfortunately suffered his first against the New York Jets in December 2023. Stroud missed two games but returned before the end of the season.

Stroud burst onto the scene in 2023 with a fantastic season, winning Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and even finishing eighth in the NFL MVP vote. He threw for 23 touchdowns (only five interceptions) and 4,108 yards and helped lead Houston to 10 wins, an AFC South title and a postseason victory one year after the team went just 3-13-1.

One year later, Houston won 10 games, took the AFC South and earned another playoff win. Stroud's numbers regressed (20 touchdowns, 13 picks, 3,727 yards), but the team still found success and made the AFC Divisional round yet again.

The 2025 season saw the team get off to a slow 0-3 start, and Houston scored just 13 points per game. However, Stroud and the offense bounced back for the most part over the next five weeks (3-2), including impressive wins over the Baltimore Ravens (44-10) and San Francisco 49ers (26-15).

Houston is now 4-5, a game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final AFC wild card spot.

Without Stroud, Mills is QB1, and Graham Mertz is the backup.

The 27-year-old Mills has played all five of his seasons for the Texans and was notably the team's starter in 2021 and 2022 before becoming Stroud's backup in 2023. Mills led the Texans on a ferocious comeback against the Jaguars, as Houston scored 26 unanswered fourth-quarter points.

Mills accounted for 312 yards (292 passing, 20 rushing) and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).

▶️Full Jaguars-Texans Recap

05:17

So Mills will lead the way against the Titans, and it's possible he does the same shortly thereafter on Nov. 20 at home versus the Buffalo Bills. Houston's next game after that is a big one on Nov. 30 at the AFC-leading Indianapolis Colts, who sit at 8-2.

As for Mertz, the 24-year-old is a rookie who joined the Texans after going in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft. He played college ball at Wisconsin before transferring to Florida.