Justin Houston is a Raven
The Baltimore Ravens agreed to terms on a one-year contract with four-time Pro Bowler OLB Justin Houston, pending the passing of a physical, executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta announced on Saturday.
[Camp Notes from M&T Bank Stadium]
Here are several notes about the 6-3, 270-pound Houston:
Entering his 11th NFL season, Houston has played in 134 games (128 starts) for the Kansas City Chiefs (2011-18) and the Indianapolis Colts (2019-20).
A first-team All-Pro (2014) and four-time Pro Bowler (2012-15), Houston has registered 444 career tackles (366 solo), 97.5 sacks, 117 tackles for loss, 17 forced fumbles and 13 fumble recoveries. Since he entered the league in 2011, Houston ranks third in both sacks and fumble recoveries among active NFL defenders.
Houston started seven of the eight playoff games in which he appeared from 2013-20. In those eight postseason contests, he recorded 20 tackles (16 solo), 4.5 sacks, three passes defensed and two fumble recoveries.
Houston has recorded at least eight sacks in each of the past four seasons (2017-20), while his single-season career-high 22 sacks in 2014 ranked No. 1 in the NFL. Since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, that 2014 total of 22 ties (Jared Allen, 2011 and Mark Gastineau, 1984) for the second most in an NFL single season.
Houston was originally selected by Kansas City in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He then signed as a free agent with Indianapolis in 2019. While with the Chiefs (2011-18), Houston helped guide the team to five playoffs berths (2013, 2015-18) and three-straight AFC West titles (2016-18).
Houston started all 16 games in 2020, helping the Colts finish with an 11-5 record and clinching a playoff berth. He led a unit that ranked eighth in total defense (332.1 ypg) and second in both rushing yards allowed per game (90.5) and average yards per carry permitted (3.71). On the season, Houston recorded 25 tackles (19 solo), eight sacks, 12 QB hits, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
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