Colts Urged To Sign Veteran Pass Rusher Ahead of NFL Draft
Though there still remains a chance that the Indianapolis Colts could reunite with veteran pass rusher Justin Houston, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport urges the franchise to make the move ahead of the draft and shore up the depth chart.
Re-signing Houston with less than a week until the start of the 2021 NFL Draft would continue a trend for Chris Ballard and the Colts in recent days. Previously, Ballard and the Colts shored up the cornerback room by re-signing veteran TJ Carrie to a one-year, $2 million deal.
Now, it's time to do something similar with Houston prior to the NFL Draft.
Currently, the Colts have Al-Quadin Muhammad, Ben Banogu, Kemoko Turay, Tyquan Lewis, and Isaac Rochell on the roster. Though Banogu and Turay are athletes that have a high ceiling on the edge, they have played a combined total of 930 snaps in the NFL.
Adding a guy like Houston back into the mix would provide the Colts with an insurance policy in case they can't grab the pass rusher they desire in the draft.
Here's what Davenport had to say about the Colts needing to re-sign Houston.
To be fair, Houston is on the downslope of his professional career at 32 years old. And after he notched 11 sacks in his first season with the Colts in 2019 (his first campaign with double-digit sacks since 2014), his numbers dipped in 2020. But he still ranked second on the team with 8.0 sacks, trailing only defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (9.5). With Houston and defensive lineman Denico Autry (who signed with the rival Tennessee Titans) now no longer with the team, the Colts are precariously short on proven pass-rushers behind Buckner, who is the only player on the roster who had more than four sacks in 2020. Yes, some mock drafts have predicted that Indy will use the 21st overall pick on an edge-rusher. But the position has a notoriously steep learning curve, and adding an edge-rusher there does little to address the team's glaring need at left tackle after the retirement of Anthony Castonzo. Neither is especially good news for a team that fashions itself a Super Bowl contender. Money isn't an issue. The Colts are sitting on the fourth-most cap space ($26.1 million) in the league. The wisest move for both player and team is to continue this relationship at least one more season.
I have to say, I'm in full agreement here with Davenport. Yes, Houston is 32 years old and is on the downside of his career as an edge defender, but much like Davenport said, the position has a steep learning curve. Having a veteran like Houston around will allow the Colts to bring whichever edge rusher they pursue in the draft along slowly.
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