Should the Chicago Bears sign Justin Houston?

The Chicago Bears’ need at edge rusher has become the overwhelming storyline as 2023 training camp kicks off Wednesday. The cluster of pass rushers currently on the roster, led by free-agent signing DeMarcus Walker, don’t inspire much confidence, so, naturally, speculation continues to persist about whether GM Ryan Poles will sign or trade for an established sack guy.

One name that Poles has a reported interest in is Justin Houston, the 34-year-old former Chief, Colt, and Raven, who finished the 2022 season with 9.5 sacks. It was his best year since 2019, when he totaled 11 sacks.

Houston’s played 12 years in the NFL and emerged as one of the league’s most dominant defenders in 2014 when he registered a league-best 22 sacks with the Chiefs. He’s had three other seasons in his career with double-digit quarterback takedowns.

Poles is very familiar with Houston and the impact he can have in Chicago. He was a member of Kansas City’s front office during the pass rusher’s prime years.

NFL source confirms #ChicagoBears are among the teams interested in Pass Rusher Justin Houston a 4X Pro Bowler familiar to GM Ryan Poles in … https://t.co/oTnG95GmDb

— Peggy Kusinski (@peggykusinski) July 25, 2023

Houston would immediately add veteran leadership to a Bears defensive end group that currently relies on Walker and Trevis Gipson to fill that role. Both players have a chance to be strong leaders, but Houston is simply on another level.

It shouldn’t cost much to sign Justin Houston, either. He signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Ravens in 2022. He’ll likely demand a contract that’s similar for 2023. Houston would be a great one-year bridge for a Chicago Bears club that will wait until next offseason to make a more significant investment at edge rusher.

Rumors about the Bears trading for Chase Young seem unfounded, and Yannick Ngakue may be pricing himself out of Poles’ comfort zone. That leaves Houston, who, even at 34 years old, will bring more juice and violence off the edge than any of Chicago’s current defenders.

Houston to the Bears would make sense, both from a dollars and roster needs standpoint.