Texans Swap Graham Mertz's Cursed Knee for Brett Rypien's Typo of a Stat Line
The Houston Texans placed Graham Mertz on season-ending IR with a torn ACL and signed veteran journeyman Brett Rypien to eat preseason snaps.
HotTakes Editorial Team1 min read
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The Houston Texans just swapped out one cursed knee for a guy whose career stat line looks like a typo. Graham Mertz is officially done for the year, and Brett Rypien is packing his bags for Texas.
Mertz is heading to season-ending injured reserve after tearing his ACL in Thursday's 27-7 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. It is a brutal blow for a guy who simply cannot catch a medical break. To fill the void, Houston is bringing in Rypien, a 30-year-old journeyman who has thrown more than twice as many career interceptions as touchdowns.
"Adam Schefter reported the Texans signed veteran QB Brett Rypien and placed QB Graham Mertz on season-ending injured reserve."
If you followed Mertz during his college days with the Florida Gators, this feels like a cruel rerun. He ended his 2023 season with a broken collarbone, missed time in 2024 with a concussion, and then tore his ACL. Now, in his second NFL season, he goes 4-for-7 for 23 yards in a meaningless August exhibition and his knee gives out again.
Enter Rypien, the ultimate emergency glass-break quarterback. In 11 career games across stops with the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, and Cincinnati Bengals, he has racked up 950 passing yards, four touchdowns, and nine picks. He is not here to steal the starting job, but he is here to eat preseason snaps so the actual starters do not suffer the same fate as Mertz.
This is the exact type of August roster churn that makes betting on preseason football a sickness. You are essentially wagering on whether Davis Mills can survive the pressure of being the undisputed backup, or if Rypien will have to step in and throw a 50-50 ball to a guy who will be selling insurance by September.
For now, the Texans just need a warm body under center to get through the rest of the exhibition slate. Mertz begins another grueling rehab cycle, while Rypien gets to cash an NFL check for handing the ball off in the fourth quarter of games that do not count.
Key stats
Key statsMertz went 4-for-7 for 23 yards before his injury in a 27-7 preseason loss to the Chargers.
Rypien has 950 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions in 11 career NFL games.
What's next
Mertz faces another long ACL rehab, while Rypien will take over late-game preseason duties to keep the rest of the Houston depth chart healthy.
