Packers' Whitney Mercilus Reportedly Will Miss Rest of Season with Biceps Injury

The Green Bay Packers reportedly were dealt a blow to their defense.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that veteran linebacker Whitney Mercilus, who signed with the team Oct. 21, suffered a torn biceps in Sunday's win over the Seattle Seahawks and will miss the remainder of the season.

Mercilus was brought in to help improve Green Bay's pass-rush which had been dealing with the absence of star linebacker Za'Darius Smith, who hasn't played since Week 1 and is on injured reserve with a back injury. Mercilus recorded his first sack as a Packer in Sunday's victory.

A 10-year veteran out of Illinois, Mercilus was released by the Houston Texans last month after spending his entire career with the team. The Texans selected him with the 26th overall pick in the 2012 draft, and he had 57 sacks, 72 tackles for losses, 13 forced fumbles and 115 quarterback hits during his time in Houston.

Mercilus saw his playing time get cut this season as the Texans made an effort to get meaningful reps for their younger players. The 31-year-old had started two of the six games he played for Houston after starting a total of 28 games in the previous two years.

The Packers rank ninth in the NFL with 24 total sacks. Third-year linebacker Rashan Gary leads the team with 5.5 sacks while three players have three apiece. Gary suffered an elbow injury against the Seahawks, but he reportedly intends to play through it by wearing a brace and is set to undergo an MRI on Tuesday. 

The Packers improved to 8-2 with the win over Seattle. Green Bay will look to keep its momentum going in next Sunday's road matchup against the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings.