In some ways, Saturday afternoon was a win for former Florida Gators QB Graham Mertz by just being on the field for the preseason opener for the Houston Texans. Mertz tore his ACL last year against Tennessee, but was still able to be drafted and rehab well enough to make his return to action in an NFL uniform.
But fair is fair, and if one was hoping for a Disney fairly tale on Saturday, then one is going to have to wait.
Graham Mertz struggles in NFL preseason debut
Mertz entered in the 2nd half and was the 3rd QB the Texans sent out, none of which included their projected starter C. J. Stroud.
After a couple of completions to start off, Mertz was given his baptism by fire in the NFL.
His final stat line was 7/14 for just 27 yards. He also had three interceptions on the day and finished with a QB rating of 16.7.
To give context of how bad a rating of 16.7 is, a QB would have a rating of 39.6 if every pass they threw was incomplete.
Mertz did have a nine-yard scramble, and for someone coming off ACL surgery, he did seem to move well enough. However, it was evident that he was struggling to figure out coverages and looked like a player who hadn't played since last October.
Mertz came to Florida after transferring from Wisconsin and had a decent 2023 campaign. While he lacked the big arm to hit deep shots, he had a high completion rate and at least gave the Gators a chance to win.
He broke his collarbone against Missouri in 2023 while trucking a defender on a scramble, a moment that will forever earn respect with Gator Nation.
He entered 2024 as the starter, but was knocked out of the season opener against Miami with a concussion. He then rotated with DJ Lagway until tearing his ACL against Tennessee.
While he wasn't a perfect QB, he is the type of guy that Gator Nation is going to root for. He came across as a genuine leader during Florida's feature episode on Netflix and has the tools to be a long-term backup in the NFL.
So for Mertz's sake, hopefully, he learns from his NFL debut and has a better showing next week.