Pros and Cons of Lions Signing EDGE Defender Justin Houston
The Detroit Lions badly could use a pass-rusher of the caliber of Justin Houston.
And guess what, he's presently available on the free-agent market.
The 32-year-old is one of the best remaining free agents, and he would instantly bring Detroit some credibility in the pass-rushing department.
The four-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro is coming off an eight-sack campaign with the Indianapolis Colts, and has recorded eight or more sacks each season since 2017.
His eight-sack season a year ago would've placed him second among all Lions defenders, right behind Romeo Okwara, who produced 10 sacks in a career year for himself.
No offense to Okwara, but Houston would instantaneously become Detroit's most feared pass-rusher.
Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports
Then, there's this nugget, courtesy of NFL.com:
"Houston generated 23 key pressures (pressures that are play/drive-ending, including sacks) as a Colt in 2020, which placed him in the top 30 percent of edge rushers last season. Next Gen Stats show that Houston posted an 11.7 pressure percentage on third down last season, ranking 25th among 62 players with at least 100 third-down rushes."
So, he's still definitely performing at a high level.
Yet, he is north of 30, and by NFL standards, is considered to be on the downside of his career.
He's also likely waiting out for a lucrative offer from a Super Bowl-contending -- or at least playoff-contending -- NFL franchise. Obviously, that's something the Lions, as a rebuilding team, can't provide to Houston.
And, at the advanced stage that Houston is at in his career, it might not be worth it for Detroit general manager Brad Holmes to offer the veteran EDGE rusher a contract, either.
I, for one, don't see a match between Houston and the Lions organization.
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