Texans release veteran defensive end Mercilus

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans have released veteran defensive end Whitney Mercilus. He was the 26th overall pick in the 2012 draft and has spent his entire career with the Texans. Mercilus was one of the longest-tenured players on the team after most of the team’s stars have been traded or released in recent years. Mercilus appeared in 134 games for the Texans, which is the third most in franchise history. He has 348 tackles in his career and ranks second in franchise history behind J.J. Watt with 57 sacks.