CJ Stroud has special handshakes with Texans teammates to build chemistry
CJ Stroud started the tradition when he was the quarterback at Ohio State. He’d create special handshakes for a bunch of teammates. And the Buckeyes kept winning.
And now Stroud is the starting quarterback for the Texans. He’s a rookie, taken No. 2 in the NFL Draft, tasked with making the Houston offense more competitive. And the group is mostly young players like Stroud looking for a way to stay close to their other teammates. So why not more handshakes?
CJ Stroud told ESPN that he may have as many as 30 special handshakes. That’s a ton of dapping, hugs and high fives. Stroud and some teammates even have a dance because scoring touchdowns and winning games is fun stuff. The Texans, with three wins, already matched last year’s victory total. And we’re not even at the midpoint of the season.
The Texans hyped the CJ Stroud-Nico Collins connection this week. The Houston social media team shared clips of the two celebrating. And you can see the Stroud-Collins specific handshake.
Is it the handshake? CJ Stroud, Nico Collins among NFL leaders
Back in college, CJ Stroud and Nico Collins wouldn’t be sharing handshakes, given that one was a Buckeye and the other played for the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State’s sworn enemy. Collins arrived in Houston first, when the Texans selected him in the third round of the 2021 draft.
Collins ranks eighth in the NFL in receptions yardage with 547. He’s posted 13 catches of 20 yards or more. That’s second in the league behind Justin Jefferson‘s 14. Collins and Tyreek Hill are tied.
Maybe it could be the handshake?
“It was kind of one of those QB receiver love,” Collins told ESPN. “You gotta have a handshake. CJ is dropping dimes to me. We had to come up with something.”
CJ Stroud also detailed how he took his skilled players to Los Angeles, his hometown, in the off-season so that they could work out together and become closer as teammates. He picked up the tab for the flights and hotel rooms. That’s when Stroud and fellow rookie Tank Dell developed their own handshake and dance.
“When they came out to LA. I brought a couple of my cousins over to our house, and we were all dancing, having a good time,” CJ Stroud said. “Tank was like, ‘What’s that dance? Bruh, that’s hard.'” That was gonna be our handshake. So maybe we just kind of dapped it up and then started doing it.”
Well, we’ve got video of that dance, as well.
Check it out below:
Most of the dance moves and handshakes end in a hug. Meanwhile, CJ Stroud, at least going into late October, is the top offensive rookie in the NFL. He’s thrown for 1,660 yards, which is fourth-best in the league. He’s behind only Tua Tagovailoa (1876 ), Kirk Cousins (1769) and Matthew Stafford (1677). Stroud also has thrown only one interception. That might be his biggest achievement.
Maybe it is the handshake.