Justin Houston Is Last Piece of the Puzzle for Ravens

OWING.MILLS, Md. — The one glaring weakness on the Ravens roster is a veteran pass rusher and the team can solve that challenge by signing defensive end Justin Houston.

The team has talent at every other position and has Super Bowl aspirations this season.

Houston visited Baltimore in April, but he left without a deal.

The Ravens have a need for an edge rusher after losing several players this offseason.

Matt Judon, who led the team with six sacks last season, signed a new deal with the Patriots as a free agent. Yannick Ngakoue signed with the Raiders after finishing with eight overall, but only three in nine games for Baltimore. Jihad Ward, who signed with the Jaguars, managed three sacks last season.

Houston is the type of player that could thrive with the Ravens. He's a durable, aggressive pass rusher that could help fill the void left by those recent departures that could hamper the pass rush.

Houston is still available on the free-agent market, but his former team, the Indianapolis Colts, could still make a run at re-signing him.

"Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue landed lucrative deals elsewhere in free agency, leaving Baltimore to reshape its pass rush with the draft selection of Odafe Oweh in the first round as the primary catalyst," ESPN's Field Yates wrote. "Some experience and juice in the form of Houston would help round the group out a bit more."

Houston turned 32 in January, so his age could be a concern among other suitors.

Last season, Houston was second on the Colts with eight sacks and 12 quarterback hits over 16 games. He also finished with 25 tackles (eight for a loss), one forced fumble, two fumbles recovered and two safeties.

The question now is whether he'll be available if the Ravens decide to make him an offer.