Texans Fear ACL Tear For QB Graham Mertz

When speaking after the game, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson) Mertz may have torn his ACL. Further testing has been scheduled to determine the extent of the injury. As the wait for further details goes on, Wilson reports the team fears the worst-case scenario of an ACL tear has indeed occurred.

Mertz entered the league in 2025 as a sixth-round pick of the Texans. He did not see any regular-season game time, with backup Davis Mills logging three starts in C.J. Stroud‘s absence last year. Both Stroud and Mills are still in the fold for 2026, so the top of Houston’s QB depth chart will not be altered regardless of Mertz’s prognosis.

Per Wilson, the Texans conducted a workout with quarterbacks Jake Haener and Seth Henigan last week. Haener auditioned with the Ravens recently as part of their search for a new QB3, but he did not land a contract. The former Saints draftee has been available since he was waived by the Chiefs in May. Henigan, meanwhile, signed a futures deal with the Colts in January but was cut in June.

If Mertz is indeed set to miss most or all of the 2026 campaign, finding a replacement ahead of Week 1 will become a Texans priority. It would come as no surprise if Haener or Henigan were to be high on the list of targets given their recent visits to Houston. In any case, finances will not be an issue with respect to signing a new No. 3 quarterback. The Texans entered Friday with over $25MM in cap space.