Before the preseason opener against the Vikings, the Texans dropped a depth chart… well, an unofficial one, to be exact. Head coach DeMeco Ryans made it clear this wasn’t gospel. His reasoning? Straightforward and honestly pretty reliable. “I just say let everybody have it, tear it up and everybody make a big deal out of who’s where because it’s unofficial,” he put it bluntly. Even so, despite the disclaimer, the quarterback room still looked relatively sorted.

CJ Stroud, no surprise here, is the starting quarterback as he enters his third season. David Mills, once again, is penciled in as the backup. That leaves Kedon Slovis and rookie Graham Mertz duking it out for the third-string spot. Or maybe even a place beyond that. Which naturally raises the question: Will the Texans roll into the regular season with four QBs, or is someone about to get cut?

If the chatter holds weight and ESPN’s latest report is to be believed, it looks like Ryans is leaning toward sticking with three QBs, which could leave rookie Mertz on the outside looking in. The logic tracks as well. The sixth-rounder (197th overall pick) has struggled tremendously in the past couple of preseason games. And ESPN reports that, considering his poor preseason outcome, the Texans are expected to cut ties with him.

During the Texans’ season opener against the Vikings (lost 10-20), the 24-year-old completed 7 of 14 passes for just 27 yards and threw three interceptions. The second preseason against the Panthers (won 20-3) rolled in, and Mertz’s on-field presence was limited. The rookie completed just 2 of 2 passes for 2 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.

But it’s not just his underwhelming performance that raised eyebrows. Mertz suffered a season-ending ACL tear in his final year at Florida. Now, folks out there suggest that he still hasn’t completely recovered. Slovis, on the other hand, turned heads, and there’s no denying that. In Week 1 of the preseason, Slovis went 11-for-15 for 71 yards—no touchdowns, no interceptions, with a passer rating of 82.9. Week 2?

He finished 5-for-12 for 51 yards, again clean with no scores or picks. Sure, he took a couple of sacks in the opener, but all things considered, heading into the preseason finale against the Lions and the regular season, Slovis clearly has the edge over Mertz. The writing is on the wall, but we’ll see DeMeco Ryans’ decision in some time. Meanwhile, CJ Stroud finally has something to be optimistic about.

CJ Stroud’s offense won’t repeat the past mistakes

CJ Stroud led the Texans to the postseason in his first couple of seasons, no doubt. But last year, the challenges were visible, especially from the five-man unit protecting him. The quarterback faced significant pressure due to an underwhelming offensive line. The results? 52 sacks, the second-most in the league last year, and a dip in his performance compared to his rookie year. Heading into the 2025 season, everyone wanted to see the Texans’ offense under the new OC, Nick Caley.

And the Texans didn’t disappoint. After a few hiccups in training camp and a rough preseason opener loss to the Vikings, they came out firing against the Panthers in Week 2. CJ Stroud seemed pumped about how the offense looked. “I think we’re clicking,” he said after a 20-3 win over Carolina. “We’re not making the same mistakes we did earlier in camp. I think that’s what you want to see at this point.”

In just two drives against the Panthers, the offense found its rhythm, with Stroud calling the shots and keeping everything moving smoothly. After an early three-and-out, the QB and his unit settled in. Christian Kirk picked up a key first down, followed by a 14-yard connection to rookie Jayden Higgins. The drive wrapped up with a 6-yard TD grab from Nico Collins, putting Houston on the board in style.

“I thought we were fairly efficient, physical, took care of the football, protected well. I was happy with that.” Caley said earlier this week. “I think it’s something to build off of and we’ve just got to keep moving it from here.” With an O-line that seems better and a new OC who won Stroud’s trust, the Texans don’t seem to repeat the same mistakes this year.