Tag: Justin Houston

4 burning questions ahead of Dolphins-Chiefs wild-card battle

Four burning questions ahead of Dolphins vs. Chiefs.

The Miami Dolphins are headed to Kansas City for a matchup with the Chiefs during the wild-card round of the postseason. Miami was hoping to host a couple of playoff games this season and was on track to do so most of the year. Unfortunately, the loss to the Buffalo Bills last week cost them the AFC East.

The Dolphins now hold the No. 6 seed and will be on the road for the playoffs. This was a massive flip in the standings, considering Miami held first place in the AFC East for 16 out of 18 weeks during the regular season. Both Miami and Kansas City hold records of 11-6 in 2023.

The Dolphins have a short week to get ready for one of the most anticipated playoff runs in recent history. Here are some of the most burning questions ahead of the wild-card weekend.

Former Georgia edge rusher signs with the Miami Dolphins

Former Georgia football edge rusher signs with the Miami Dolphins ahead of Miami’s wild-card game this weekend

Former Georgia Bulldogs star outside linebacker Justin Houston has signed a contract with the Miami Dolphins ahead of the NFL postseason. Houston provides depth and experience at the edge rusher position for Miami ahead of the Dolphins’ Jan. 13 wild-card game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Houston recorded 0.5 sacks and nine tackles in seven games for the Carolina Panthers this season.

Houston was a third-round draft pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Houston accumulated 20 career sacks at Georgia from 2008-2010. He has continued to be very productive in the NFL.

Justin Houston has played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, and Carolina Panthers during his 12 season NFL career. Houston has 112.0 career sacks, including 9.5 sacks with the Ravens during the 2022 season.

Dolphins Wire broke down why it is so important that Miami is signing Justin Houston ahead of the playoffs.

The Miami Dolphins have had some real issues on the edge, as they’ve lost Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Andrew Van Ginkel and Cameron Goode for the season to injury.

That has left the team with just Emmanuel Ogbah, Quinton Bell and Melvin Ingram between the active roster and practice squad, so it makes sense that they’d be looking for help.

Miami had several unfortunate injuries to end the 2023 regular season. The Dolphins are desperate to generate a pass rush against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Dolphins signing former Panthers OLB Justin Houston

Former Panthers OLB Justin Houston found the contender he was looking for.

Justin Houston is getting his shot.

As first reported by NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo on Tuesday, the Miami Dolphins are signing the 13th-year outside linebacker ahead of their upcoming postseason run. Houston began the 2023 campaign with the Carolina Panthers, who granted his request for a release back on Dec. 19.

The former four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher signed on in Carolina this past summer, thanks to a call from former head coach Frank Reich.

“It was simple,” Houston said of his decision. “Coach Frank called. I knew right then—as soon as he called, I hung up the phone and told my wife we goin’ to Carolina. It was an easy decision.”

Houston previously played two seasons under Reich with the Indianapolis Colts.

But with Reich having been fired just 12 weeks in and the Panthers far out of the playoff race—the 34-year-old, who recorded half a sack in seven appearances this season—asked for his release in an effort to join a contender.

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Dolphins signing veteran LB Justin Houston

Miami adds veteran help on the edge.

The Miami Dolphins have had some real issues on the edge, as they’ve lost Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Andrew Van Ginkel and Cameron Goode for the season to injury.

That has left the team with just Emmanuel Ogbah, Quinton Bell and Melvin Ingram between the active roster and practice squad, so it makes sense that they’d be looking for help.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Dolphins are signing veteran linebacker Justin Houston for their playoff run.

Houston, 34, has been in the league for 13 seasons, spending his first eight years with the Kansas City Chiefs. With Kansas City, he earned one All-Pro nomination and Pro Bowl honors four times. Since 2019, he’s spent two years with the Indianapolis Colts, two years with the Baltimore Ravens and part of this season with the Carolina Panthers.

In seven games in 2023, he’s recorded nine tackles (two for a loss), a pass defensed and a half-sack, but in his career, he’s amassed the third-most sacks of any active player (behind only Von Miller and Cameron Jordan).

Houston may not be the edge rusher that he once was, but he could certainly help a group that’s in desperate need of assistance.

5 NFL free agents who could help your playoff-bound team, including Ndamukong Suh

Which NFL free agents could help your playoff-bound team? There are some good names out there.

The NFL playoffs are right around the corner, and postseason-bound teams are looking over the state of their rosters for a January push.

The Baltimore Ravens bolstered their offense by signing running back Dalvin Cook to the practice squad on Thursday, hinting that more signings like it could be on the way for playoff football.

While some of the players on this list haven’t played all that much this season (if at all), they’re all proven veterans who could factor in for a couple of games to help a team compete for a Super Bowl.

Let’s run down five of these names and try to identify how they could help and which teams make the most sense at this point.

Justin Houston? Micah Parsons? Cowboys have obvious solution to run-stopping woes

The Cowboys need to get better at LB but is moving Micah Parsons or signing a free agent like Justin Houston really the best solution? | From @ReidDHanson

Following the Cowboys’ embarrassing 31-10 loss to Buffalo in Week 15, the defense’s run-stopping ability immediately fell under scrutiny.  Not only did Buffalo’s top runner James Cook enjoy a career day, but the running game as a whole forced 12 missed tackles on the Dallas run defense.

The Bills dominance on the ground was so significant, their all-star QB, Josh Allen, only needed 15 dropbacks and seven completions to easily secure the victory. It was a display of dominance not seen in quite some time and an indication the same old tired ending might await them in the postseason once again.

Buffalo found that by playing larger personnel groups like 12, 21 and even adding an extra offensive lineman for a jumbo look, the Cowboys would be unable to match up in personnel. And they were essentially right. Based on player tracking, Dallas used 3-2-6 and 4-1-6 personnel on defense 79% of their snaps. In those personnel groups the Cowboys gave up +0.24 EPA/play and +0.21 EPA/play respectively.

The only personnel group worse than Dallas’ light look was their bulkier 4-3-4 group. When the Cowboys answered Buffalo’s big personnel, going light in the secondary and adding more in the front seven, they gave up a staggering +0.53 EPA/play.

Dan Quinn prefers to lean into the strengths of his personnel and it’s easy to see why. Removing a good DB for a LB of far lesser quality is bad business. In the case of Week 15, the Cowboys’ lowest LB on the depth chart, Rashaan Evans, scored the lowest defensive score of the game. His run-stopping grade of 33.1 wasn’t just lower than any DB on the Cowboys, but lower than any single player.

Of course, the alternative to using an extra LB like Evans is allowing the extra lineman to openly bulldoze a defensive back. That’s not exactly an ideal situation either. This dilemma in which we speak is causing many to think of alternative solutions.

5 landing spots for veteran pass rusher Justin Houston, including a Ravens reunion

Where could veteran pass rusher Justin Houston land after his Panthers release? We have some ideas.

A veteran pass rusher has just become available to NFL teams vying for the playoffs.

The Carolina Panthers have waived outside linebacker Justin Houston at his request, per the organization. He’ll likely clear waivers and latch on with a postseason contender of his choosing.

While Houston isn’t quite the game-wrecking talent he was in his prime, he can still provide a veteran presence for any team’s pass rush. He’s only got a half-sack this season and nine tackles, but he had 10.5 sacks last season for the Baltimore Ravens in 17 regular season games and one playoff game.

It’s always possible he could go back to Baltimore or join a new team. Let’s take a look at five organizations that make sense.

Panthers release Justin Houston

The Panthers have granted Justin Houston’s request for a release.

Justin Houston didn’t sign up for what the Carolina Panthers have turned out to be. So, he’s moving on.

As announced on Tuesday afternoon, the Panthers have granted Houston’s request for a release. According to ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, the 34-year-old outside linebacker is hoping to play out the rest of his 13th pro campaign for a contending team.

That 13th pro campaign hasn’t exactly been a bright one for the four-time Pro Bowler. Houston, who has not played since Week 8, appeared in just seven games before being placed on injured reserve due to a hamstring issue.

Carolina signed Houston to a one-year deal back on Aug. 6. He told reporters that head coach Frank Reich, for whom he played two seasons under in Indianapolis, was a big reason why he joined the Panthers.

“It was simple,” Houston said when he arrived to training camp this past summer. “Coach Frank called. I knew right then—as soon as he called, I hung up the phone and told my wife we goin’ to Carolina. It was an easy decision.”

Well, Reich is gone . . . and now so is Houston.

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Panthers sign Matthias Farley to roster, elevate Eku Leota for Week 9

Ahead of their Week 9 outing, the Panthers have signed S Matthias Farley to their active roster and elevated OLB Eku Leota from their practice squad.

The Carolina Panthers just had to place yet another key defender on injured reserve, as outside linebacker Justin Houston was shelved this afternoon due to a hamstring issue. So now, they’ve signed a player to take his place.

Filling the 53rd spot on the active roster will be safety Matthias Farley, who was inked from the practice squad following the Houston news. The 31-year-old veteran and Charlotte, N.C. native will now, of course, be eligible to play in the team’s Week 9 contest against the Indianapolis Colts.

Farley has appeared in three games for Carolina this season, having notched 31 snaps on special teams on 63 on defense. All 63 of those defensive looks came in the Week 6 loss to the Miami Dolphins, where Farley recorded the unit’s second-lowest overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

Joining him on the come-up will be rookie outside linebacker Eku Leota, who has been elevated for the second straight Sunday. Leota made his NFL debut in last week’s win over the Houston Texans, seeing six snaps on defense and eight on special teams.

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Panthers place OLB Justin Houston on injured reserve

The Panthers have placed OLB Justin Houston on IR.

The Carolina Panthers will be without Justin Houston for more than just this weekend.

As announced by the team this afternoon, Houston has been placed on injured reserve and will now miss at least the next four games. The 34-year-old outside linebacker sustained a hamstring injury during the team’s Week 8 win over the Houston Texans.

Houston signed a one-year deal with the Panthers this past summer. The four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher, however, hasn’t made much of an imprint here in his 13th NFL season—as he’s amassed nine combined tackles and half a sack while playing in 41 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.

Carolina’s defense has already been dealt an array of blows—as Houston will be joining cornerback Jaycee Horn, safety Jeremy Chinn and fellow linebackers Shaq Thompson, Yetur Gross-Matos, Marquis Haynes Sr. and Claduin Cherelus on the sideline. Safety Vonn Bell, who was ruled doubtful on the final Week 9 injury report, is also likely to miss tomorrow’s contest.

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