Cincinnati Bengals need to reach out to Justin Houston
Surprisingly, the Cincinnati Bengals didn’t upgrade their linebacker corps this offseason. They signed Joe Bachie around OTAs but that move didn’t exactly thread the needle.
The linebackers weren’t good in 2020 and considering not many changes were made, they probably won’t be good in 2021. There’s optimism surrounding second-year man Logan Wilson, who the Bengals took in the third round last year out of Wyoming.
Germaine Pratt and Akeem Davis-Gaither are the other two likely starters and neither were great last year. Since the Bengals didn’t bring anyone else in, however, they don’t have to fight too hard for a starting job.
The Bengals really need to add a veteran linebacker and one of the best names available in free agency right now is Justin Houston. It’s shocking that Houston is still available to sign at this point of the offseason but he’s clearly waiting for the right team, as Jason La Canfora noted in a recent tweet.
Justin Houston will play in 2021, with the right team, at the right time. He's turned down some recent offers and at least 4 teams have reached out in the last few days as interest heats up ahead of camp. He'll weigh what's best for him as teams continue to make overtures
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) July 15, 2021
Justin Houston needs to be on the Cincinnati Bengals’ radar if he’s not already.
Houston is a former third-round pick out of Georgia in 2011 by the Chiefs. He spent the first eight years of his career with the Chiefs, getting released the season before they went on to win the Super Bowl.
After the release, he signed with the Colts, where he continued to play well. Part of why the Chiefs were comfortable parting ways with Houston was because of his injuries, as he appeared in all 16 games just three times in eight years.
Houston proved he could stay healthy during his time in Indy and that was something he needed to show he could do. He was still a very effective linebacker with the Colts, totaling 19 sacks in two seasons. The Bengals could most certainly use that kind of production, as their pass-rush was nearly non-existent last year and their leading sack leader is now wearing Jets green.
The way La Canfora phrased the tweet above made it seem like Houston is eyeing playing for a contender, which, sadly, the Bengals are not. Houston wouldn’t gain much from playing with the Bengals but maybe the chance to come into a bad team in a good organization could be an incentive for him to show up in a big way and get more money in free agency next offseason.
3 Remaining Free Agents with Connections to Cincinnati. dark. Next
It’s a long shot for Houston to come to Cincinnati but the Bengals need to at least give his agent a call because he’d be a huge addition to this linebacker group.