GLENDALE, AZ - The Chicago Bears hosted QB Trevor Siemian for a visit. Getty
Kedon Slovis #16 of the Houston Texans runs the ball against the Carolina Panthers. Getty
The Houston Texans will likely have to find another quarterback following the apparent knee injury to backup Graham Mertz in the preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers , which head coach DeMeco Ryans said postgame they feared was a torn ACL.
An MRI on Friday is expected to reveal just that.
The Texans are now in a position to shake up their roster, with several viable QB options available to them.
GettyTrevor Siemian would bring a lot of experience to the Texans' QB3 position.
"Mertz previously suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during his final season at Florida and was still rehabbing it when the Texans drafted him in 2025," the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan M. Alexander wrote on August 14.
"The Texans will need to sign another quarterback to play in the preseason as they hope to limit the reps of C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills in the preseason."
NFL .com's Lance Zierlein agreed, offering several suggestions with team ties.
"With Graham Mertz likely out for the year with an ACL tear, the Texans need a QB ASAP to take snaps in the next two preseason games so Stroud and Mills don't have to take on big snap counts," Zierlein posted on X on August 14.
Former Los Angeles Rams , Las Vegas Raiders , San Francisco 49ers , and New England Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo led Zierlein's list of "quarterbacks to watch."
"OC Nick Caley has been with him at NE and the Rams," Zierlein noted.
Up next was journeyman Brett Rypien , who Zierlein noted "played for the Rams in 2023 during Caley's last season. Rypien was with the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2025 regular season, taking 1 sack in his lone appearance, finishing without an official attempt.
Trevor Siemian was last, with Zierlein noting his "33 career starts. Would be capable of learning quickly, eating up snaps in games and functioning as a QB3 on the roster."
That is "regardless" of how much time Mertz misses, Alexander noted.
Getty Kedon Slovis could require more work to acquire than the Texans may prefer.
Garoppolo won two Super Bowls as a backup on the Patriots , and he led the 49ers to another Super Bowl as a starter. Siemian won a Super Bowl as a backup, too, but he also beat out more highly touted competition for the right to succeed Peyton Manning with the Denver Broncos .
Rypien is a career backup who is 2-2 as a starter in his career spanning seven seasons and eight teams, including the Indianapolis Colts .
"Kickin' It With Kunkel" host Will Kunkel suggested the Texans go with a familiar face.
"I wonder if they will pull Slovis from AZ," Kunkel said in the reply section of Zierlein's post on the Texans' QB situation, noting that the organization has "familiarity and they aren't going to need him."
Slovis, an undrafted free agent in 2024, entered the NFL with the Colts. Indianapolis waived him, and the Texans signed him to their practice squad. The Texans would have to trade for him now.
It remains unclear if the Texans plan to add a QB, though Zierlein doubted a trade for a QB3.
But they did not dress QB1 C.J. Stroud for the contest, and they pulled top backup Davis Mills after one series, indicating a desire to preserve him, at least against the Chargers.
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