Mercilus (biceps) was activated off injured reserve Friday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.
As expected, Mercilus will be available for Saturday's divisional matchup with the 49ers. However, it remains unclear what kind of role the veteran pass rusher will have. He was initially expected to be out for the remainder of the season after sustaining a biceps injury in mid-November, but he's made an improbable recovery. The Packers are also getting Za'Darius Smith (back) back for the playoffs. In corresponding moves, Green Bay released Isaac Yiadom and Jack Heflin.
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Packers' Whitney Mercilus: Placed on injured reserve
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Mercilus (biceps) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
Mercilus' move to IR is a formality after it was announced Monday that he was done for the season. He was able to make an impact in a limited time for the Packers, appearing in four games and notching three sacks after joining them on Oct. 21.
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Packers' Whitney Mercilus: Done for season
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Mercilus (biceps) will miss the rest of the season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Mercilus left early Sunday against the Seahawks and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game. He joined the Packers on Oct. 21 and contributed three sacks in four appearances. The veteran will now focus on being ready for 2022. In his absence, Preston Smith will continue to see extra opportunity, as will Oren Burks.
Coach Matt LaFleur said Monday that he's assuming Mercilus (biceps) is facing a long-term absence, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.
Mercilus was ruled out of Sunday's game against the Seahawks shortly after he went down, and it appears as though he'll miss additional time. Preston Smith saw an uptick in playing time against Seattle, while Oren Burks should also see additional snaps if Mercilus is sidelined.
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Packers' Whitney Mercilus: Won't make it back Sunday
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Mercilus (biceps) has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Seahawks.
Mercilus was ruled out very quickly after originally coming out of the game, which is possibly a foreboding sign. Oren Burks will likely see more snaps as a result.
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Whitney Mercilus: Cut by Houston
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Mercilus was released by the Texans on Monday, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.
Mercilus had three sacks through the first six games of the season, but Houston opted to move on since he wasn't generating enough consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The 31-year-old has been with the Texans since being selected during the first round of the 2012 draft, though he'll now have to continue his career elsewhere.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Two sacks through three games
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Mercilus notched two tackles (one solo), a tackle for loss and a sack in Thursday's 24-9 loss to Carolina.
Mercilus got good penetration as the Texans' defense kept them in it for most of the game until the Panthers pulled away late. Just three games into the season, Mercilus is already halfway to last year's total of four sacks, and the veteran defensive end has added seven tackles.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Positive test confirmed
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Mercilus was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday following a positive test for the virus, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Mercilus won't play in Sunday's game against the Bengals. Depending on when he tested positive for the virus, Mercilus may not play in next week's game against the Titans, either. Jonathan Greenard and Jacob Martin are candidates to take over as a starting outside linebacker, although both players should get plenty of tread until Mercilus returns.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Makes impact in playoff win
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Mercilus recorded four tackles, one sack, three quarterback hits and forced a fumble in Saturday's 22-19 overtime win over the Bills in an AFC wild-card playoff game.
Early in the fourth quarter, Mercilus dislodged the ball from quarterback Josh Allen, which was recovered by teammate Jacob Martin and set up Houston's second score in its comeback victory. It was the fifth forced fumble of the year for Mercilus, who has thrived in the role once held by Jadeveon Clowney.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Named Pro Bowl alternate
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Mercilus has been named a Pro Bowl alternate, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Mercilus is having a nice season during his walk year, improving his value in the pending free-agent market. The 29-year-old edge player has 5.5 sacks, four forced fumbles , one fumble recovery and two interceptions.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Back in sack column
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Mercilus recorded four tackles, a half-sack, one quarterback hit and a fumble recovery in Sunday's 30-23 loss to Indianapolis in Week 7.
Mercilus recorded his first sack since Week 4 and leads the Texans with 5.5 for the season. The fumble recovery was his first to go along with four forced fumbles.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Keep sack streak alive
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Mercilus recorded two tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and forced a fumble in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Panthers in Week 4.
Mercilus recorded a sack for the fourth straight contest and leads the Texans in that category with five over the first four weeks. That's as many as he had over the last two seasons (21 games).
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Makes impact again
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Mercilus had two tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hits and two forced fumbles in Sunday's 13-12 win over the Jaguars in Week 2.
Mercilus' second forced fumble, recovered by J.J. Watt on Jacksonville's 11-yard line, led to Houston's lone touchdown. The performance was his first multi-sack game since 2016. No longer limited to dropping back in coverage, Mercilus is allowed to focus on getting to the quarterback in 2019, a return to the type of player he was from 2012 to 2016 when had a combined 37.5 sacks. Through two weeks in 2019, Mercilus has seven tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Clowney replacement
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Houston defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel will use Mercilus as an edge pass rusher to make up for the loss of Jadeveon Clowney, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Crennel started the process during training camp and preseason games when Clowney was a holdout, so Mercilus should hit the ground running (or pass rushing) from the edge Week 1. He was used more in pass coverage last season, which played a role in him recording just four sacks. When he played a pass-rushing role previously, Mercilus recorded 37.5 sacks over a five-year stretch from 2012 to 2016.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Will move around
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Mercilus is expected to line up at various spots, the Texans' official site reports.
Houston defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel addressed the assembled media following practice and hopes moving Mercilus around creates an opportunity for him to earn more sacks. "Whitney is one of those guys that - he had 12 sacks a couple of years ago - He's the ultimate team guy and he will do whatever we ask him to do and I think that we are going to try to move him around a little bit more this year than we did last year and see what that does for him," Crennel said. Health may have contributed to Mercilus recording just four sacks in 2018. After missing 11 games in 2017 due to a pectoral injury, he was saddled by a preseason hamstring injury that lingered into the regular season.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Shows out Monday
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Mercilus recorded five tackles (three solo) and 1.5 sacks across 47 defensive snaps in Monday's win over the Titans.
Mercilus has had a nose for the quarterback the past two weeks, recording 2.5 sacks during that span. He'll take on the Browns next, who have allowed 35 sacks this season, which is seventh-highest in the league.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Ready to play Sunday
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Mercilus (hamstring) was a full participant in Friday's practice and will play Sunday against the Patriots.
Mercilus will start at outside linebacker in the season opener. He can add a sustained pass rush to the Texans' defensive front, as he had 19.5 sacks between the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Mercilus only played five games last season due to a pectoral injury and made 10 tackles and one sack. The 28-year-old could be a sleeper IDP pick due to his lack of fantasy production lately.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Returns to field
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Mercilus (hamstring) returned to the field and is expected to play Sunday against the Patriots, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle reports. "It feels good to be back with the team and be back against the Patriots, that's the goal," Mercilus said. "I'm ready to go out there and run and make plays. I don't think I've dropped off."
Mercilus landed on injured reserve halfway through last season suffering a torn pectoral muscle. He then returned to action in training camp but missed time due to a "soft-tissue" injury. However, it seems as if the veteran linebacker is feeling optimistic about his current status and is hopeful to take the field Sunday.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Was cleared a month ago
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Mercilus (pectoral) said Tuesday that he was cleared a month ago and is 100 percent, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.
Mercilus underwent season-ending surgery after suffering a torn pectoral in Week 5 of last season, but it looks like he has been ready to go for several weeks now. With Mercilus saying he'd be able to participate in a full practice Tuesday, the expectation is that the linebacker will be a full go once offseason workouts get into full swing.
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Texans' Whitney Mercilus: Lands on IR
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Mercilus (pectoral) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Mercilus needed season-ending surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, so the move was fully expected. In order to address the pass-rushing void the loss of Mercilus presents, Texans signed Lamarr Houston earlier this week. Houston notched eight sacks for the Bears in 2015, his last 16-game season.
