Who Should I Start? Shane Buechele or Graham Mertz

Saturday, August 23, 11:47 PM

Buffalo Bills quarterback Shane Buechele turned in the team's best passing performance of the preseason in a 23-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. The 27-year-old demonstrated pinpoint accuracy throughout the night, completing 25 of his 30 attempts for 278 yards and a touchdown. He also used his mobility to his advantage and added another 20 yards on five rushes. Buechele played the entire game with the Bills' top three QBs - Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky, and Mike White - on the sideline. Trubisky and White have spent the summer battling for the No. 2 job, a role Buechele stands little to no chance of winning. His best bet to stay in the organization for a third straight year may be via the practice squad. Buechele was on Buffalo's practice squad in 2023, and he spent last year on Injured Reserve after suffering a neck injury in the preseason.

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.