Skip to main content

21. Justin Houston, LB, Chiefs

When healthy, Houston is arguably the best edge player in the league.
21. Justin Houston, LB, Chiefs
21. Justin Houston, LB, Chiefs

When healthy, Houston is arguably the best edge player in the league. He had 50.5 sacks in 54 games before a knee injury in the second half of 2015 slowed him down. He was thought to be on the right track to a full recovery after a postseason clean-up procedure, but instead he ended up needing ACL surgery, and an early-season return is in doubt. What’s not in question: Before the surgery, Houston was the most dominant outside linebacker in the game. His blend of speed and power along with his rare flexibility make him nearly impossible to block with just one man. Pity the offensive tackle that falls victim to Houston’s patented dip-and-rip pass rush move.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations


Published | Modified
Greg A. Bedard
GREG A. BEDARD

Greg Bedard is a senior NFL writer who covered the Patriots, Packers and Dolphins as a newspaper beat writer and wrote a weekly column for The MMQB before joining SI as a senior NFL writer in 2015.