Who Should I Start? Quinn Ewers or Graham Mertz

Sunday, August 17, 6:50 AM

Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers had a big second half in the team's second preseason game on Saturday, throwing for 116 yards and two touchdowns by completing 11 of his 17 pass attempts. He entered the game trailing 14-7 but led two touchdown drives and led the team to a 24-17 victory over the Dolphins. Both of Ewers' touchdown passes went to fellow rookie Theo Wease Jr. as both players look to establish their positions on the roster. The rookie quarterback from Texas was a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after throwing for 9,128 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions in 36 games over three seasons with the Longhorns. Ewers is currently competing with Zach Wilson for the team's backup role behind Tua Tagovailoa, and both potential backups had strong showings against Detroit. Wilson played ahead of Ewers on Saturday, but Ewers stepped up with a much better showing than he had in his preseason debut against the Bears.

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.