Graham Mertz left Thursday night’s preseason game with a knee injury, and the Texans were suddenly staring at the kind of answer no team wants in August. Head coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game the team feared an ACL injury. By Friday morning, reports indicated the belief was that Mertz had torn the ligament.
A brutal turn for a quarterback who had barely begun carving out a place in the NFL. Further testing will confirm the diagnosis, but the Texans reportedly fear the worst: an ACL tear that could wipe out most or all of Mertz’s 2026 season.
Mertz’s brief preseason appearance ends badly
Before departing, Mertz completed four of seven passes for 23 yards. Davis Mills started the game and returned after Mertz’s injury, a reminder that Houston’s immediate quarterback picture remains stable even as its depth takes a sharp hit.
Drafted in the sixth round by Houston in 2025, Mertz spent his entire rookie season as the third quarterback behind C.J. Stroud and Mills. He did not play in a regular-season game. Mills made three starts during Stroud’s absence last year, and both players remain on the roster for 2026.
Houston won’t be forced into a dramatic reshuffling at the top of the depth chart. Stroud is still the starter, Mills the established backup, and Mertz’s prognosis won’t change either role. But losing a young quarterback before the regular season starts is still a nasty blow, especially when he had spent a full year waiting for a real chance to develop within the system.
Houston’s third-quarterback problem is suddenly real
The Texans do not currently have a third quarterback on their roster, and an Mertz ACL tear would make an outside addition an obvious priority before Week 1. This isn’t a crisis at the top two spots. It’s a depth-chart failure Houston can’t ignore.
The team has already started looking. Houston worked out Jake Haener and Seth Henigan last week, and both could be prominent options if the Texans need to replace Mertz. Haener recently auditioned for the Ravens during their search for a new third quarterback but did not sign. The former Saints draft pick has been available since the Chiefs waived him in May.
Henigan signed a futures deal with the Colts in January before being cut in June. Neither player brings the certainty of an established NFL backup, but the Texans are shopping for a No. 3 quarterback, not asking someone to rescue their season. That distinction matters, and it makes Houston’s job manageable.
Money won’t be an obstacle. The Texans entered Friday with more than $25 million in cap space, leaving them with ample room to sign another quarterback if Mertz’s feared diagnosis is confirmed.
The waiting game now belongs to Mertz
For Mertz, the timing is particularly cruel. His rookie year came and went without a regular-season snap. Now his second season may be defined by rehabilitation instead of the competition he needed. The preseason is supposed to be where developmental quarterbacks force their way into the conversation. Instead, Mertz’s night ended after 23 passing yards and a feared ligament injury.
The Texans will wait for testing before making the diagnosis official. Ryans’ initial concern and Friday’s report point in the same ugly direction: Houston may be preparing for life without Graham Mertz for the 2026 campaign.
