After facing some initial criticism over his quarterback rankings, C.J. Stroud is changing his tune on Buffalo Bills signal-caller Josh Allen.
The Houston Texans quarterback causing a stir by leaving Allen off his list of the league’s top five quarterbacks, but later issued a new ranking that swapped Allen for Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Jalen Hurts.
Stroud’s original list was first revealed in an Instagram teaser for his June 2 appearance on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast, putting himself above some well-established quarterbacks and initially snubbing Allen before taking to social media to correct his list.
C.J. Stroud’s Top Five
In his podcast appearance, Stroud went with the popular pick of Patrick Mahomes when listing the league’s top quarterbacks. He added two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson and also included himself, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Hurts.
The list drew some immediate attention, especially with the exclusion of both Allen and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. As Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports noted, Stroud later posted another list to his Instagram stories and gave more love to the Bills quarterback.
“In his updated list (which he posted on his Instagram account), Stroud kept the top-three quarterbacks the same, but gave the No. 4 spot to Josh Allen and moved Prescott to the fifth and final spot while omitting Hurts,” DeArdo noted. “Stroud added that he feels Joe Burrow is also among the NFL’s top 5 quarterbacks. Burrow, though, missed nearly half of the 2023 season with an injury, which was surely the reason why he was left off of Stroud’s list.”
This is not the first time that a stray ranking of Allen has gotten some viral attention this offseason. Last month, former Bills safety Jordan Poyer shared his love for fans at a charity event in Buffalo and made waves with a statement on Allen.
“I loved every moment of it,” Poyer said of his time with the Bills. “Sorry we couldn’t get it done, but you’ve got the best quarterback in the league. I know that might go viral, but that’s OK.”
Though Poyer has never been shy about sharing his admiration of Allen, the statement drew some attention as he has since signed with the rival Miami Dolphins to play alongside quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud Will Meet
After a torrid rookie season that included a division title with the Texans, Stroud will get the chance to face Allen in the coming season. The Bills and Texans face off in a Week 5 meeting in Houston, a game where wide receiver Stefon Diggs will play against his former team.
Though Diggs saw a sharp decline in productivity over the back half of the 2023 season, the Texans believe he will still be an effective part of the team’s offense in the coming year.
“Talking to people around the league, they believe they’re going to have one of the best three-receiver sets in the NFL, along with Tank Dell and Nico Collins,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter, via Bleacher Report.
“The feeling is that Diggs’ vertical speed might have fallen off a little bit when he was in Buffalo but that’s okay because Houston needs him as that savvy route-runner that’s going to win in the intermediate range of the field. They have the younger guys that can go deep.”
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