Justin Houston to the Tennessee Titans makes too much sense

Do the smart thing Titans.

Look, I have been on this hill since the Kansas City Chiefs let Justin Houston walk two years ago, but the Tennessee Titans should absolutely be pushing to sign the veteran EDGE.

Not only is he one of the seven remaining free agents that pass through the filter that it looks like the Titans are using this offseason, but he has been consistently remarkable for a decade.

In the last two years, Houston has played in every game and racked up 19 sacks (0.59 per game), and while that is down from his career average of 0.72 sacks per game, it is still a remarkable number.

If Houston manages to keep the pace he has maintained since turning 30, he is going to give the team that signs him a 10 sack season (remember there is going to be 17 games this year).

Now, there are obviously a few reasons why this signing might not happen. First and foremost, Houston has maintained contact with the Indianapolis Colts who have more money than nearly anyone else in free agency. If they want to keep him, they will have the money to overpay or front-load his contract.

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I think the best way to address this is to look at something the Titans have already done.

Denico Autry was a huge presence on the Colts defense over the last three seasons, but Jon Robinson signed Autry this offseason and he did it without breaking the bank. One of the main reasons to sign Autry was that not only are you adding a player to your roster, but you are taking a player away from a division rival.

The same would be true with Justin Houston who would make EDGE a bigger need for the Colts to address while also opening up options for the Titans on the first two days of the 2021 NFL Draft.

The other big one is the question of where you can play Houston. Bud Dupree and Harold Landry are the starters at EDGE and neither of the two are specialized players. What I mean is, Landry and Dupree are both above-average players vs the run and are better vs the pass.

One thing to remember is that Mike Vrabel really likes rotating his front four, to the point where Matt Dickerson was getting brought in to give Jeffery Simmons and DaQuan Jones breathers in crucial situations.

On top of that, Bud Dupree is probably the most versatile of the three EDGEs and in Pittsburgh last year you can find plays where he and T.J. Watt line up on the same side and run stunts and play games vs right tackles and guards.

With that in mind, you can see how a four-man front of Justin Houston, Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, and Harold Landry (with Bud Dupree blitzing behind Houston or Landry) would be incredibly effective.

The reason why this is a no-brainer is that the Titans still need at least one more EDGE this offseason, and regardless of what it costs, you aren’t going to find someone with more proven production and you get to hurt a rival as well.

Don’t overthink this, it is a no-brainer.

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