The Houston Texans’ pass rush is a struggling bunch without defensive end J.J. Watt. They would like to keep all the talent they have on-board.
After defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20, Texans coach Bill O’Brien echoed that notion. In the offseason, the Texans would like to re-sign one of their top pass rushers in outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus.
“Whitney is a hard worker,” O’Brien said postgame. “He’s an excellent teammate and we want Whitney back here… we want him to be part of our team for a while.”
Mercilus, 29, recorded two sacks in the victory over the Bucs. In doing so, he notched a sack for the first time since Week 7, Oct. 20 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Mercilus is a free agent at the end of the season, as his four-year deal worth $26 million signed on May 5, 2015, is expiring. If he were to sign a contract with the Texans, it would be the third he would receive with the team.
On the season, Mercilus has 7.5 sacks. He got off to a quick-start, tallying his first five in the first four weeks of play. He also has two interceptions, both being one in the red zone against high-grade teams, the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans.
Originally, the Texans made Mercilus a first-round selection out of Illinois in the 2012 NFL Draft. In 114 games with the team (88 starts) he has 50 sacks, 315 combined tackles, 104 quarterback hits and 63 tackles for loss.
Mercilus has acted as a consistent outside linebacker for the Texans since 2012. He turned into a well-respected player league-wide in 2015, when, amid injuries to the rest of the defense, he stepped-up, tallying a 12-sack season, his only season of double-digit sacks.
On Tuesday, the NFL Mercilus as a Pro Bowl alternate at outside linebacker. If Von Miller, T.J. Watt or Matthew Judon don’t play and the Texans don’t play in the Super Bowl, he could go for the first time in his eight-year career