Indianapolis Colts Defensive End Justin Houston: ‘There’s Still a Lot Left in Me’

When he arrived with the Indianapolis Colts for his ninth NFL season in 2019, defensive end Justin Houston assured he still had “plenty left in the tank.” A year later, the pass rusher aims to prove that point again to earn a new contract.

INDIANAPOLIS — Justin Houston assures, once again, he’s far from finished.

The Indianapolis Colts 10th-year defensive end, who led the team with 11 sacks in 2019 and is entering a contract year, made it clear in a Friday Zoom video conference call that he expects to play beyond this season.

Remember how Houston said, “I have plenty left in the tank” after signing with the Colts last season after eight years in Kansas City? The 31-year-old pass rusher sounds the same a year later.

“I’ve definitely shown I still have plenty in the tank, and I’m ready to show it again,” he said. “There’s still a lot left in me. I’m definitely going to show it this year. I’m ready to get started.”

When asked about his future beyond this season, the no-nonsense Houston was straight to the point, as usual.

“I definitely want to continue to play football, but whether I want to play here – I haven’t even thought that far ahead,” he said. “I just want to focus on one game at a time, one day at a time. Right now, I’m just focused on this season. Whatever happens after that, I’ll leave it up to God.”

Well, perhaps God and general manager Chris Ballard, who has known Houston since their days together with the Chiefs. Ballard has some contract decisions to make after this season — In addition to Houston being in a contract year, so too are center Ryan Kelly, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, running back Marlon Mack, linebacker Anthony Walker Jr., defensive tackle Denico Autry, and safety Malik Hooker, among others. Quarterback Philip Rivers and cornerback Xavier Rhodes, signed this offseason, are also looking to get paid in 2021.

Houston has proven in his four-time, Pro-Bowl career to be one of the NFL’s most consistent pass rushers. He led the NFL with a career-high 22 sacks in 2014, just half a sack off Michael Strahan’s league record. Houston was named First-Team All-Pro.

His 11 sacks last season marked the fourth time he’s hit double digits, and was the first time since that 2014 dominance. That’s proof he can still get after the passer. How much he has left, that’s the ongoing question.

One key component should be the addition of All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who was acquired from San Francisco for a 2020 first-round draft choice. Buckner is one of the league’s best three-technique players, a powerful and speedy lineman who can rush the passer and stop the run.

Offenses have to account for Buckner shooting gaps, which means Houston will see more one-on-one matchups on the edge.

“I think he’s going to bring a lot of pressure up the middle,” Houston said of Buckner. “Any time you have to focus on a guy like that – he wreaks havoc. If you watch his film when he was with San Francisco, he can run, rush the passer, and stop the run. When you have a big guy that can do it all, that helps the defense out a lot and that frees up your linebackers. We have speed at linebackers – they run and make plays all day. So, when you have someone like that up the middle, that just changes the whole defense’s game.”

And what about Buckner freeing up Houston, too?

“I feel like when you have a guy like that up the middle, the guard can’t slide out and help as much as he usually does,” Houston said. “They definitely have to take care of him before they take care of me, and that will give me more of a one-on-one opportunity.”

Those are the kind of pass-rush situations that Houston likes. He’s not going to see too many double teams, and he has no doubt about winning those one-on-one battles.

“I definitely believe in myself,” he said with a smile.

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)