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An ex-Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro has signed with the current KC enemy ahead of Super Wild Card Weekend.
“[The Miami] Dolphins are signing veteran pass rusher Justin Houston, source says,” reported NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo on January 9. He added: “Banged up at the edge, Miami adds an experienced player at that spot heading into the postseason.”
#Dolphins are signing veteran pass rusher Justin Houston, source says. Banged up at the edge, Miami adds an experienced player at that spot heading into the postseason.
Of course, Houston is much more than just an “experienced” pass rusher, he’s a long-time Chiefs star on the defensive side that has accumulated 78.5 regular season sacks with the franchise — plus another 4.0 during the playoffs.
Drafted into Kansas City in 2011, Houston has not suited up for the Chiefs since 2018. He’s spent the past five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers. Nearing age 35 on January 21, the former third-round selection appeared in seven outings with the Panthers this year, with 0.5 sacks and two tackles for a loss.
Assuming he’s ready to play on Saturday night, Houston’s immediate task will be disrupting Chiefs reigning MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Dolphins Injuries Have Mounted at OLB Since Last Matchup With Chiefs
The Chiefs and Dolphins met in Germany on November 5. Since then, Miami has suffered a rash of injuries that has impacted their outside linebacker position — which is the role Houston would play in this defense.
Jaelan Phillips (Achilles), Bradley Chubb (knee) and Andrew Van Ginkel (foot) have all been lost for the season, and fill-in Cameron Goode even went down with a serious knee injury in Week 18. Head coach Mike McDaniel noted that his availability did not appear “promising” after the game, and he has since been ruled out for the remainder of the year as well.
More #Dolphins injuries: LBs Andrew Van Ginkel (foot), Jerome Baker (wrist), and Cam Goode (knee) are all out for Saturday’s Wild Card game vs. the Chiefs.
Goode is out for the season, and Baker is most likely out for the season, too.
That leaves Emmanuel Ogbah, fellow former Chief Melvin Ingram, Calvin Munson and Houston on the active roster at outside linebacker.
The injuries don’t end there for Miami. Inside linebacker Jerome Baker (wrist) has already been ruled out versus the Chiefs, along with starting cornerback Xavien Howard (foot) — who the Dolphins are “not planning” to play.
There are several others that have hit the season-ending IR at various points of the campaign, like offensive lineman Connor Williams or running back Salvon Ahmed, but there is a small silver lining for the Dolphins.
McDaniel expressed optimism that the star wide receiver and running back combo of Jaylen Waddle (ankle) and Raheem Mostert (knee) will return during the first round of the NFL Playoffs. And while their status is not yet confirmed, it is trending in the right direction.
Week 18 Should Give Chiefs Upper Hand in Terms of Health
The Chiefs were allowed to rest several starters in Week 18, including Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, wide receiver Rashee Rice, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and more.
On top of that, recent injury absences like left tackle Donovan Smith and wide receiver Kadarius Toney were provided with an extra week to recover, and KC’s bumps and bruises healed as the Dolphins picked up new ones. That fact alone should give the Chiefs the slight upper hand heading into this matchup — not to mention homefield advantage.
On January 9, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid relayed that rookie OT Wanya Morris and WR Justyn Ross were the only two players that would not practice on Tuesday. Morris is in the concussion protocol, per Reid, while Ross has a “hamstring strain.”
Having said that, the Chiefs HC noted that Smith “should be fine” for round one of the playoffs at left tackle — a role Morris had been playing in recent weeks.
As you can see, Kansas City is very healthy heading into Wild Card Weekend. The Dolphins, on the other hand, are not.
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Dolphins Sign Pass Rusher Who Achieved 78.5 Sacks With Chiefs: Report