The Houston Texans‘ are approaching the new season with confidence and continuity, spearheaded by the presence of second-year quarterback CJ Stroud. In a 20-3 win over the Panthers, Stroud was 6 of 8 for 44 yards and a touchdown. Showing the same efficiency that head coach DeMeco Ryans has also praised since camp opened. Despite little snaps, the second-year signal-caller’s maturity, huddle presence, and practice dependability have made him the undisputed center of Houston’s offense, giving Ryans and the Texans every reason to believe their rise will continue into 2025. However, not everybody can fit into that picture.

With roster cutdown looming, Ryans has had difficult conversations, and perhaps none more shocking than releasing quarterback Kedon Slovis. CJ Stroud’s teammate Slovis had flashes of brilliance in preseason action, including a touchdown strike to Daniel Jackson. But inconsistency and mistakes found him lagging in the line. With Stroud commanding a quarterback room strengthened nicely by Davis Mills, there simply wasn’t room for Slovis to leave a lasting impression

What ultimately doomed Slovis was the same issue that plagued him throughout college. Flashes of arm talent with nothing to go along with them. At camp, he strung together some solid sequences. However, decision-making in pressure situations, hesitation in the pocket, and drive-killing mistakes were hard to excuse. Analysts like L4Blitzer argued that Slovis actually did seem to be the better option ahead of Graham Mertz, still recovering from his ACL tear, and even deserves his position on QB3.

He wrote, “This is a tough call, especially as much of the roster was likely set before camp started. I don’t know if he was just brought in to be a camp arm, but Kedon Slovis appears set to take that QB3 slot. Mertz may not be fully healed from his torn ACL, and given that he’s been the last QB on the field the past two games seems to indicate where he stands in the food chain. Slovis, well, you would never build a franchise around him, but if it is between him and Mertz, Slovis would be a more effective QB3 right now.” The quarterback room for the Texans, though, was effectively shut down before camp began. And Slovis found himself the odd man out. That is, he wasn’t so much below par; he was simply surplus.

Responses to Slovis’ release showed just how polarized assessments of his preseason actually were. Joe Critz concurred, stating Slovis “balled out enough in both stints to warrant a roster spot if Houston decides to go with three quarterbacks. If not, I’d hope he’d be able to stick to the practice squad as Houston’s embryo-stage Davis Mills replacement.” It was a compliment on his efficient preseason stats and poise pocket, and he even called him “a long-term insurance piece behind Mills.” Others, such as VBallRetired, had a more pragmatic perspective: “I think they practice squad both the third and fourth quarterback or one will have a wink season ending injury so they can keep both around,” in accordance with a popular fan theory that coaches utilize roster loopholes to retain young quarterbacks without committing a whole 53-man roster spot in CJ Stroud’s team.

Assuredly, Slovis is not the lone tough decision that the Texans must make. 90 down to 53 players necessitates decisions that weigh short-term need against long-term promise. At running back, Dameon Pierce has not established himself since coming back from injury, and Dare Ogunbowale’s utilization hinges almost exclusively on Joe Mixon‘s status. British Brooks stood out on special teams and could turn coaches into reconsidering his fullback potential. Jalen Mills and Arthur Maulet delivered splash plays on the secondary, but uncertainty still surrounds their chances of surviving the final cuts.

Jawhar Jordan, who led the team in rushing during this preseason, has made it tougher for him to decide. Veterans like Braxton Berrios and Justin Watson are fighting to fit into an overpopulated wide receiver unit. The ripple effect is simple: one roster choice impacts another category. And Ryans must balance short-term depth with long-term flexibility.

In short, the Texans’ final roster cuts will sting. Talented players will be shown the door, not because they are not talented. But because the numbers game forces Ryans’ hand.

Texans HC officially confirms CJ Stroud’s backup

For Graham Mertz, Saturday night in Detroit was more than just another preseason game. Following a questionable first outing against the Vikings that featured three interceptions and a visible struggle to find rhythm. The rookie quarterback took his second attempt with much more decisive results. Playing against the Lions, he was serene, confident, and calculated. Completing 14 of 16 attempts for 145 yards and a touchdown for CJ Stroud’s team. Mertz operated not only the offense but also ruled it. He read coverages with assurance, exploited man schemes with precision in timing. And even displayed bursts of running skill with two scrambles for 20 yards. For a player who underwent ACL surgery last spring, the performance was a manifestation of grit and refinement.

DeMeco Ryans couldn’t stop praising the sixth-round draft pick. ”I’m really proud of Graham,” Ryans stated. His evaluation wasn’t based on digits on a stat sheet but on intangibles: presence, communication, and energy. He also stated, ”The way he got in and really commanded the offense, he was under control, playing with great energy, great communication, did a really nice job of moving the ball up and down the field.”

With limited snaps in his initial two preseason games, Mertz was finally provided with substantive reps, and he took every single one of them. The rookie stared the Texans’ offense down with poise and in rhythm. He delivered snap decisions and placed the ball into good catchable windows. It was the preseason game coaches always dream about: a young player taking his opportunity and demonstrating that he is here to stay.

What Saturday showed was not only a great performance but the shape of Mertz’s future with the Texans. With CJ Stroud entrenched as the franchise quarterback, Mertz is not competing for the spotlight, but for consistency and faith in a system that values reliability as highly as talent. He’s already penciled in as a practice-squad candidate, but his play in Detroit could put that trajectory on the fast track. The Texans invested in him with a four-year rookie deal ($4.934 million), and the composure he showed against the Lions is proof that that investment wasn’t solely about depth; it was about ceiling. For Ryans, it was proof that the Texans’ QB depth chart is not merely top-heavy with Stroud. But quietly improving at all levels. If Mertz keeps going in this direction, Houston may have just found themselves a more than capable backup.