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The Chicago Bears have made it crystal clear they’re looking for pass rushers.
Head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed as much in an August 13 interview with CBS Sports, and multiple NFL insiders, including Jeremy Fowler of ESPN and Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, reported Chicago had expressed interest in Matthew Judon, who was ultimately traded to the Atlanta Falcons on August 15.
With very limited options still available in free agency, Justin Houston, who has multiple ties to Chicago’s current staff, is beginning to look like the team’s best remaining recourse at edge.
“Who knows if the Bears have interest in Houston, who’s 35 years old and definitely not in the prime of his career,” Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron wrote on August 15. “That said, you could certainly do worse than the four-time Pro Bowler, who had 11.5 sacks just two seasons ago.”
Justin Houston’s Multiple Ties to Bears Could Lead to His Signing
Houston spent the first eight years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs (2011-2018), getting named to four Pro Bowls and receiving first-team All-Pro accolades once in that span. In Kansas City, Houston got to know current Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who served as the Chiefs’ college scouting coordinator/scouting director during Houston’s tenure there.
After his time in Kansas City, Houston headed to Indianapolis, where he spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons playing in the defense of Eberflus, who was the Colts’ defensive coordinator at the time.
“He spent two seasons working under Eberflus with the Colts, tallying 11.0 and 8.0 sacks in those respective years,” Infante wrote about Houston. “He’s arguably best in a rotational role at this stage of his career, which is likely what the Bears would offer him. Familiarity and a path to playing time could be enticing as Houston looks for a spot in what could be his final season.”
Houston landed in Baltimore in 2021, playing for the Ravens for two seasons. In 2022, he amassed 17 quarterback hits, seven tackles-for-loss, an interception, a forced fumble and 9.5 sacks in 14 games. Over his 13-year career, he has 112.0 total sacks and 185 QB hits.
A hamstring injury limited Houston in 2023. He played the first seven games of the with the Carolina Panthers before going on injured reserve. He asked to be released later in the season, and the Miami Dolphins picked him up for a potential playoff run. Miami lost in the Wild Card round, and never did see the field after Week 7 of last season.
His connections to Chicago’s staff may not lead to his joining the team, but his familiarity with Eberflus’s defense can’t hurt.
Bears Could Also Rely on Young Pass Rushers More
Chicago drafted rookie Austin Booker in the fifth round of the 2024 draft, and he has had a solid preseason so far.
In Chicago’s second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, Booker finished with five tackles (two for loss), three QB hits and 2.5 sacks.
“He’s got that natural ability to slip and move around the corner, be able to take the inside charge if you give him,” Eberflus said about Booker on August 3. “He doesn’t do anything pre-determined, which is great. He’s an instinctual rusher. He goes and then he reacts to what he sees. I think that’s hard to defend.”
Dominique Robinson, who is on the fringes of the team’s roster, is also showing flashes this preseason, including an impressive third-down tackles-for-loss against the Bills.
Now entering his third season in the NFL, Robinson reshaped his body this offseason. He weighed in at 253 pounds last season, per the team’s official website. Now, he’s got about 20 additional pounds of muscle on his 6-foot-5 frame.
“I gained, I think, close to 15 pounds of muscle,” Robinson said on August 15. “Came into camp around 273 with like 8% body fat. To be able to come in at that weight and to get stronger over the offseason, it just helped me become a better football player overall.”
While it’s still likely the Bears will add another defensive end in free agency, they could also wind up leaning on their young edge rushers a bit more, which would be the ideal scenario.
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