Who Should I Start? Brett Rypien or Graham Mertz

Tuesday, October 14, 7:41 PM

Veteran free-agent quarterback Brett Rypien signed with the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad on Tuesday, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Anthony Richardson Sr. (eye) suffered a fractured orbital bone before Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals when a resistance band snapped and hit him in the face. With Richardson expected to be out multiple weeks, the Colts placed him on Injured Reserve on Monday, meaning he will be out at least four games. Rypien will give the Colts added QB insurance behind starter Daniel Jones and new No. 2 Riley Leonard. The 29-year-old was with the Minnesota Vikings in training camp before joining the Cincinnati Bengals. He played three offensive snaps with Cincy but was cut after the Bengals acquired veteran QB Joe Flacco in a trade. Rypien has completed 58.3% of his pass attempts for 950 passing yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 11 career games (four starts) since entering the league in 2020 with the Denver Broncos.

Monday, August 25, 6:32 AM

Houston Texans quarterback Graham Mertz got the start in the team's preseason finale in Detroit on Sunday, and the sixth-round rookie had a very strong showing while leading his team to a 26-7 win over the Lions. With starter C.J. Stroud and primary backup Davis Mills getting the day off, Mertz completed 14 of his 16 pass attempts for an efficient 145 passing yards. He threw a touchdown to Quintez Cephus and led three scoring drives before halftime. He also added 20 rushing yards on two carries. Mertz played ahead of Kedon Slovis, who was on the Texans' practice squad last year and took over for the second half of Saturday's win. Mertz likely secured the third spot on the quarterback depth chart with his strong showing, while Slovis could be headed back to the practice squad.