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After months of biding their time, the Chicago Bears may finally be on the cusp of adding an experienced pass rusher to their defense for the 2023 season.
According to ESPN Chicago’s Peggy Kusinski, the Bears are one of the teams confirmed to have interest in potentially signing four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Justin Houston, who recorded 9.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits in 2022 for the Baltimore Ravens. Her source also indicated the final decision for Houston could “come down to money.”
“NFL source confirms #ChicagoBears are among the teams interested in Pass Rusher Justin Houston, a 4X Pro Bowler familiar to GM Ryan Poles in KC 2011-18 & Matt Eberflus with the Colts in 2019 and 2020,” Kusinski shared to her Threads account. “Source: it’s a waiting game for everyone, may come down to money.”
The Bears could win a bidding war for Houston if they were determined to add the 34-year-old pass rusher to their defensive line. According to Over the Cap, they still have a league-most $32 million in cap space for the 2023 season, but general manager Ryan Poles has made it clear with his approach to free agency that he is not going to overpay for a talent if it puts the team in a position where it could hurt them down the road.
“Obviously, there’s no certainty. It takes two to make sure it works out, so there’s a level of patience that comes with it [and] there’s no guarantee,” Poles said Tuesday when asked about his previous assertion that he wanted to sign a veteran pass rusher. “If not, no, I’m excited about the guys who are here. Walker’s done a great job, Robinson is coming along, Gipson is coming along, so I’m happy with the guys that are here, but obviously, we’re gonna look to improve if we can. If it works out, we’ll attack it.”
Justin Houston Had Twice as Many Sacks as Any Bear in 2022
The Bears have been focused on making their roster younger and setting it up for long-term continuity since Poles walked through the door in January 2022, but there are reasons to believe Houston could be a wise short-term investment for their roster.
While Houston turns 35 in January and is in the twilight of his NFL career, he proved there is still gas in the tank with his 9.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits over his 14 games as a situational pass rusher for the Ravens in 2022. That’s more than twice as many sacks as any member of the Bears defense had last season.
More than 71% of Houston’s 397 defensive snaps also deployed him as a pass rusher, making him the type of pure pass disruptor off the edge that would complement the run-stopping defensive ends the Bears have already added to their 2023 roster.
As Kusinski noted, Houston’s familiarity with both Poles and Eberflus could be an important factor as well. Poles was part of Kansas City’s scouting department during Houston’s eight-year run with the Chiefs from 2011 to 2018. Meanwhile, Eberflus had Houston as one of his starting defensive ends in both 2019 and 2020 while he was the Indianapolis Colts’ coordinator, watching him rack up 19 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hits, 92 pressures, three forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.
Those relationships could persuade the Bears to invest in Houston, specifically because of the emphasis Poles and Eberflus have put on acquiring players that fit their culture.
Can Bears Get Enough From Current Pass Rushers?
The Bears signing Houston to be a situational pass rusher for their defense would make a lot of sense both financially and in terms of talent, but Poles has also now conceded that he is comfortable trusting the guys they have if a veteran addition doesn’t pan out.
Can Chicago’s current group of pass rushers be trusted to get the job done, though?
Let’s start with the returning guys: Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson. Gipson looked like he could be on the rise after the 2021 season, in which he notched seven sacks working opposite Robert Quinn during his record-setting 18.5-sack campaign. He took a noticeable step backward as a pass rusher in 2022, though, finishing with just three sacks while continuing to be an underwhelming component of the run defense.
Gipson has shown he can do it in the past — and he has all the motivation he could need heading into the final year of his rookie contract in 2023 — but whether he will actually step up and return to his previous pass-rushing form remains to be seen.
Robinson is a different case. The 2022 fifth-round pick has only been playing on a defensive line for about three years now, having originally played quarterback and wide receiver during his high school and early college days. Still, he flashed potential at scattered points of his rookie season, such as when he got 1.5 sacks in the opener. He is still very much a raw talent, but he could surprise if he proves to be easily moldable.
The Bears also signed DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green, who each have a proven track record of success against the run but are also about as questionable as Gipson and Robinson as pass rushers. The big one to watch is Walker, who finished with a career-high seven sacks and 32 pressures for the Tennessee Titans in 2022 that could signal greater things are to come for him. At the same time, he had just 12.5 sacks combined over his first five seasons, including three years with two or fewer total sacks.
With the right development and plenty of luck, the Bears could see their pass-rushing unit improve in a meaningful way this season without a flashy veteran addition. It also helps that they beefed up the interior of their offensive line with rookies Gervon Dexter Sr., Zacch Pickens and Travis Bell and veteran Andrew Billings, something that should amplify the inside pressure and yield more one-on-ones on the outside.
To be completely confident in the current group, though? We’ll need to see more.
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