Who Should I Start? Tyson Bagent or Graham Mertz

Saturday, August 23, 12:28 AM

Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent completed 20 of 28 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns in the Bears' 29-27 comeback victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bears agreed on a two-year, $10 million extension with the backup quarterback on Wednesday, and then he overcame a two-score deficit in their final preseason game of the season. Bagent led a 10-play, 87-yard game-winning drive with under 90 seconds to go in the game, which ended in a six-yard touchdown to Jahdae Walker with seven seconds left in the game. Bagent will enter the 2025 season in relief of starting quarterback Caleb Williams, and he proved he can be productive given the opportunity this 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.