Texans land emergency QB to back up C.J. Stroud after season-ending injury

The Houston Texans took a brutal hit to their quarterback room before the regular season even kicked off. During their preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Texans fell 27-7. But the loss got much worse when third-string quarterback Graham Mertz limped off late in the second quarter after a 9-yard scramble. 

Head coach DeMeco Ryans later confirmed that Mertz tore the ACL in his right knee. The injury officially ends his 2026 season before it could even get started, forcing the franchise to place him on injured reserve.

The sixth-round pick in 2025 had yet to see a regular-season snap for Houston and was working as the QB3 behind C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills. Against the Chargers, he went 4-for-7 for 23 yards before the injury. This is the second time he's torn an ACL, having previously injured his other knee during his final year at Florida Gators.

Mertz's injury left Houston with just two healthy quarterbacks for the rest of the preseason. It forced Mills to stay on the field for a lot of unexpected, extended snaps. Since the Texans still have two exhibition games left and desperately need extra arms to handle practice reps, the front office didn't waste any time bringing in a veteran.

On Saturday, ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote, "Texans signed veteran QB Brett Rypien and placed QB Graham Mertz on season-ending injured reserve." 

Texans signed veteran QB Brett Rypien and placed QB Graham Mertz on season-ending injured reserve. pic.twitter.com/alGjjiGwS8

Ryans praised the newcomer's football IQ almost immediately, saying, "He's already, you can see he's a very sharp guy."

Rypien, the nephew of Super Bowl XXVI MVP Mark Rypien, joins the Texans as his ninth NFL franchise since going undrafted out of Boise State in 2019. His career stat line sits at four touchdowns and nine interceptions on 168 attempts with a 59.9 passer rating across 11 games and four starts. 

Despite that mediocre stat line, he can run the scout team and step in without blinking if either Stroud or Mills goes down. However, his contract details have not been published officially yet. 

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