Graham Mertz: Everything you need to know

Mertz (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Cardinals. The rookie sixth-round pick has been healthy all season but is still waiting to make his NFL debut. Davis Mills will serve as the Texans' backup quarterback behind C.J. Stroud for Sunday's game.

Mertz completed 14 of 16 pass attempts for 145 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 26-7 preseason win over Detroit. Mertz started the preseason finale and engineered scoring drives on Houston's first three possessions. The rookie fifth-round draft pick appears to have secured the No. 3 quarterback job ahead of Kedon Slovis, who played the second half of Saturday's game. Mertz had followed Slovis in the first two preseason contests.

Mertz completed 7-of-14 attempts for 27 yards and threw three interceptions in Saturday's 20-10 preseason loss to Minnesota. Mertz, a sixth-round draft pick out of the University of Florida in the 2025 NFL Draft, was the third quarterback used in the game following Davis Mills and Kedon Slovis. He entered in the middle of the third quarter and all threw all three picks in the fourth quarter.