Texans' QB3 Spot Looks Less Certain After Raiders Preseason Game

The Houston Texans' QB3 spot was shaken up significantly earlier last week when second-year signal-caller Graham Mertz went down with a torn ACL, effectively ending his 2026 campaign.

In the days following, the Texans went on to sign veteran quarterback Brett Rypien, an experienced name at the position who became an easy favorite to fill into that QB3 spot for the season and play the next couple of preseason games to prove that he's worth it.

But with week two of the preseason down against the Las Vegas Raiders, there's a chance that the Texans' QB3 outlook now looks a little more complicated than expectations were shaping up after the Rypien signing.

How the Texans' QB3 Outlook Gets a Little More Complicated

In Rypien's Texans debut, his performance wasn't exactly exemplary. He played the entire second half of the game and entered as Houston was up 20-3, and proceeded not to score another point.

In all, Rypien completed six of his 10 passes for 44 yards, was sacked twice, threw an interception on the last drive of the game, and lost one of his two total fumbles on the night. Houston would be outscored 19-0 in the second half and drop their second preseason game in a row.

For a performance in which the quarterback is battling for staying power and a roster spot for Week 1, it's not exactly the most ideal outing. C.J. Stroud had a strong performance, Mills played well in his first quarter reps, but Rypien fell short of expectations.

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Brett Rypien warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Of course, it's one preseason outing, and Rypien probably isn't going to get many snaps for Houston this season anyways. There are certainly other pressing matters to address around the roster.

But for the Texans, at the very least, Rypien's lackluster day might just open up the question of whether or not they should add another name to the position for their third and final preseason game to add some more competition under center.

How the Texans Could Approach Their QB3 Spot

The Texans have three routes they could take for their QB3 position: they roll with Rypien, they bring in another name off the free agent market or via trade, or they simply carry two quarterbacks into Week 1 with C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills.

All three have a real possibility of being the end result. The outcome that can't be ruled out is the Texans bringing in just two quarterbacks for Week 1 if they can't find a strong enough QB3 in the time between now and cutdown day.

However, it's certainly a bit more complicated of a situation compared to what Houston entered their second preseason game with.

When it comes to the Texans' first and second quarterbacks on the depth chart, there are no doubts about who will be the two filling things out. But that third spot––whether it ends up being Rypien, someone else, or nobody else––will remain one of the bigger question marks in the days ahead of cutdown day at the end of August.

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