3 reasons why the Chiefs should sign Whitney Mercilus
The Houston Texans made a surprise release on Monday by releasing Whitney Mercilus. Mercilus was the longest-tenured player on the Texans roster. Mercilus had been with the Texans since 2012 and had 57 sacks and 13 forced fumbles in his nine full seasons.
Whitney Mercilus might not be the imposing pass rusher he was when he played alongside J.J. Watt, but Mercilus is a veteran who knows how to play at the top-level in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs defense has been abysmal this season. Taking a flier on Mercilus might be the first step to fixing their defense.
Cut by Texans, Whitney Mercilus said 'It's tough.' Said no hard feelings, appreciates the organization noted 'It's a rebuild, honestly.' Noted 'it's a business' emphasized team wanting to go 'Younger and cheaper' which as he said is a priority for most NFL teams
3 reasons why the Chiefs should sign Whitney Mercilus.
# 1 – Mercilus can still contribute in a rotational role at 31-years-old.
Whitney Mercilus's boss score doesn't tell the story of his career. Mercilus has 57 sacks in nine full seasons, which is an average of 6.3 sacks per season. In 2020, he had only four sacks, but this year, he has three sacks in six games. It should also be noted that Mercilus has only started in two games this season.
The Texans began using Mercilus as a rotational pass rusher as they focused on their youth movement. The Chiefs won't have to start Mercilus, as they have Chris Jones and Frank Clark in place.
Using him to keep Jones and Clark fresh would be a good idea. Especially given the wrist injury Jones has dealt with this year. Mercilus can follow the lead of Melvin Ingram. Ingram joined the Steelers fresh, as a rotational pass rusher to T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, and the results have been good thus far.
# 2 - The Chiefs pass rush ranks near the bottom in the NFL.
Through their first six games, the Chiefs have a league-lowest seven sacks. Last season, they were 19th in sacks with 32. The regression has hit the Chiefs defense hard. Clark and Jones have both had a hard time staying healthy this season.
Whitney Mercilus had 12 sacks in his best season back in 2015. When Watt left the Texans and Mercilus was the only legitimate pass rusher, his production dipped. Clark and Jones will help Mercilus to not be the center of attention.
Good player hits the market: #Texans are releasing pass rusher Whitney Mercilus. He has 3 sacks this year. The youth movement continues for Houston (@AaronWilson_NFL).
Mercilus had 57 sacks in 134 games for Houston. He should get scooped up quick. https://t.co/pJn7WDQhuF
# 3 - The Chiefs Super Bowl hopes rest on their defense.
The Chiefs have been a story this season because their offense and defense have both underperformed. The offense still receives the benefit of the doubt that they'll right the ship, but the defense has given up 29.3 points per game, the fifth-most in the NFL.
Signing Whitney Mercilus won't solve all of those issues but the Chiefs should try to do something personnel-wise to change it up. If the Chiefs wish to win a Super Bowl, they'll need their defense to be better than it's been. Otherwise, even their high-powered offense won't be enough to get them where they want to be.