Bears Prime Landing Spot for Edge Rusher With 100-Plus Career Sacks

Getty Outside Linebacker Justin Houston, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, hits quarterback Joe Flacco of the New York Jets and forces an incomplete pass during an NFL game in September 2022.

The Chicago Bears still need to add an edge rusher, or maybe two. The longer the team waits, the more the pool of players shrinks — but so do their price tags.

One player whose increased age has yet to significantly slow him down is former Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Justin Houston. The 34-year-old tallied 25 quarterback pressures, 17 quarterback hits and 9.5 sacks across 14 games played in 2022 as a pass-rush specialist, per Pro Football Reference. For his career, Houston has registered 111.5 sacks, which puts the four-time Pro Bowler firmly in the Hall-of-Fame conversation when he eventually retires.

However, that retirement isn’t coming yet, as Houston is set to play at least one more year. Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report on Friday, July 7, pitched Chicago as the league’s top landing spot for the OLB, as training camp approaches and the Bears remain in desperate need of a seasoned pro who knows how to effectively rip off the edge for an NFL defense.

Justin Houston Has Recent History With Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus

GettyOutside linebacker Justin Houston (left), formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, celebrates a fumble recovery with outside linebacker Odafe Oweh during an NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs in September 2021.

Houston said earlier this offseason that his preference is to return to the Ravens if the two sides can work out a deal. However, part of Moton’s case for Houston landing in Chicago is that Baltimore may be in a position to move on from the linebacker in 2023, even despite his exceptional pass-rushing statistics.

The other piece of Moton’s argument is that Houston has a recent history with Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, during which Houston played in a more traditional pass-rushing role as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme like the one Chicago operates.

The Ravens may allow Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo to earn significant roles on the edge for the upcoming season, which makes Houston expendable at his age. Meanwhile, the battled-tested veteran should have a chance to start at his next destination coming off another productive year.

For most of his career, he’s played outside linebacker, though the versatile edge rusher made his presence felt as a defensive end in former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ system, logging 19 sacks and 53 pressures between 2019 and 2020.

Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times believes the Bears will add a pass rusher before they open training camp. Because of Houston’s track record with Eberflus, who’s in his second year as head coach of the Bears, he may be on Chicago’s priority list of free agent targets.

Bears Have Added Only One Pass Rusher During Offseason

GettyDefensive end DeMarcus Walker of the Chicago Bears stretches during OTAs in May 2023.

The Bears have been patient with their rebuild, waiting to make moves they believe fit into their long-term vision for the future. The only pass rusher to speak of that Chicago has added to its roster this offseason is DeMarcus Walker, who produced a career-high seven sacks for the Tennessee Titans last year.

Walker is a traditional defensive end and should be a valuable addition at $7 million annually over a three-year contract, but he doesn’t solve the problems that led to the Bears finishing dead last in the NFL in 2022 with just 20 total sacks. Walker had tallied only 12.5 sacks across his first five professional seasons before his breakout campaign with the Titans.

General manager Ryan Poles has said publicly the team will add at least one more edge rusher this summer, though he hasn’t specified who that will be or given any meaningful hints as to how the franchise will approach the procurement. The move could be a trade, as Chicago is replete with draft picks over the next couple of years. However, Poles may be waiting out a free agent such as Houston in hopes of landing him on a more team-friendly contract.

Houston suited up for the Ravens in 2022 on a one-year, $3.5 million deal but outplayed that agreement significantly given his numbers off of the edge. There is also reason to suspect that Poles still believes in Houston as a player. Moton noted that Poles was working as the Kansas City Chiefs‘ collegiate scouting coordinator in 2011 when that franchise drafted Houston out of the University of Georgia with the No. 70 overall pick in the third round.