Ravens continue to be connected to Justin Houston rumors
By Justin Fried
The Baltimore Ravens have been connected to rumors surrounding free-agent pass rusher Justin Houston for months now. And those rumors haven’t subsided, even as we approach the end of June.
No, there haven’t been any new developments to speak of. The team remains quiet in their pursuit (if you could even call it that) of Houston. But that hasn’t stopped analysts from tying them to the four-time Pro Bowler.
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report recently listed the Ravens as one of the “logical landing spots” for Houston along with the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, and Kansas City Chiefs.
This isn’t the first time the Ravens have come up when discussing possible fits for Houston. And it likely won’t be the last.
The Ravens could certainly benefit from signing Justin Houston.
The Ravens saw both Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue depart in free agency this offseason leaving their outside linebacker corps razor thin.
The team did add Penn State star Odafe Oweh in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and select Notre Dame’s Daelin Hayes later in the fifth round.
Still, the current crop of pass rushers the Ravens have could be best described as unproven. Tyus Bowser is a good player, but he’ll be asked to play a much bigger role in 2021.
Jaylon Ferguson has been a disappointment through his first two seasons and remains largely a mystery. Pernell McPhee still has something left in the tank, but he’s little more than a role player at this point.
Justin Houston would provide the Ravens with their most accomplished and talented pass rusher, even at the age of 32.
The former All-Pro visited with the Ravens prior to the 2021 NFL Draft leading many to believe that he could be on the verge of signing with the team. However, his market has been oddly quiet since the draft.
Houston will eventually sign on with a team, likely before the start of training camp next month, but it’s unclear which team that will be.
The longtime Kansas City Chief still managed eight sacks and 12 QB hits a year ago while playing 59 percent of defensive snaps with the Indianapolis Colts.
He may be on the wrong side of 30, but he’s still playing at a very high level having totaled eight or more sacks in each of the last four seasons.
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The Ravens continue to be connected to Justin Houston. But for now, it’s all just rumors and speculation.