Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud suffered a concussion last week when he was hit from the side by Denver Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine while falling backward. Stroud slid late on a run and his head slammed the ground after his collision with Abrams-Draine.
KAD was initially penalized for the hit, but the flag was picked up after replay assist deemed it a legal tackle. After the game, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans argued that KAD should have been penalized for unnecessary roughness.
The NFL disagreed with Ryans. The league handed out fines from Week 9 games on Saturday and Abrams-Draine did not receive a fine, a sign that the NFL deemed his hit on Stroud a legal play.
I’ve asked the question many times when a Texans defender gets flagged for a similar hit;
What was the defender supposed to do here?
Hate that Stroud is hurt, but not mad the flag got picked up. pic.twitter.com/cBDJDcBQdU
— James Roy (@JamesRoyNFL) November 2, 2025
No Denver players were fined after the team’s 18-15 win over the Texans, but two Houston players received fines. Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was docked $17,389 for a hit on a defenseless player and wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson was fined $5,949 for taunting.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL news: Kris Abrams-Draine not fined for hit on C.J. Stroud
