HOUSTON -- The Texans released defensive end Whitney Mercilus on Tuesday.
The Texans drafted Mercilus in the first round in 2012, but this was his first year in Lovie Smith's defense, which saw him move from outside linebacker to defensive end.
In March, the 31-year-old restructured his four-year, $54 million contract, making him a free agent after this season.
Last month, Mercilus said the transition in the Texans' new defense has "been a little different."
"Now it's like my keys are shortened down to just reading tackles and tight ends and pre-snap reads, so I can't see anything that's post-snap or when motions happen, stuff like that, to get a beat on what might happen, things like that," Mercilus said.