The Colts signed Justin Houston yesterday, and it looks like a sharp move by the franchise. Kansas City didn't want to pay the pass rusher what he was due to make in 2019, but he's still one of the league's better players at getting after the quarterback.
Houston turned 30 in January; not in his prime, perhaps, but hardly over the hill either. He had 9 sacks last season, which is a step back from his peak but still a top-25 performance. He'll slot right in as one of the Colts' top pass rushers.
Over the last five years, Houston has been a difference maker for Kansas City. There have been 43 seasons in that span where one pass rusher accounted for at least 30 percent of his team's sacks. Houston has two of them.
30 PERCENT OF TEAM SACKS, 2014-2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Sacks | Team | % |
2014 | J.J. Watt, Hou. | 20.5 | 38 | 53.9% |
2018 | Aaron Donald, LAR | 20.5 | 41 | 50.0% |
2014 | Justin Houston, K.C. | 22.0 | 46 | 47.8% |
2017 | Chandler Jones, Ariz. | 17.0 | 37 | 45.9% |
2016 | Vic Beasley, Atl. | 15.5 | 34 | 45.6% |
2016 | Khalil Mack, Oak. | 11.0 | 25 | 44.0% |
2015 | Robert Ayers, NYG | 9.5 | 23 | 41.3% |
2014 | Carlos Dunlap, Cin. | 8.0 | 20 | 40.0% |
2015 | Khalil Mack, Oak. | 15.0 | 38 | 39.5% |
2015 | J.J. Watt, Hou. | 17.5 | 45 | 38.9% |
2017 | Demarcus Lawrence, Dall. | 14.5 | 38 | 38.2% |
2018 | J.J. Watt, Hou. | 16.0 | 43 | 37.2% |
2018 | Myles Garrett, Clev. | 13.5 | 37 | 36.5% |
2014 | Ryan Kerrigan, Wash. | 13.5 | 37 | 36.5% |
2016 | Dee Ford, K.C. | 10.0 | 28 | 35.7% |
2014 | Paul Kruger, Clev. | 11.0 | 31 | 35.5% |
2017 | Everson Griffen, Minn. | 13.0 | 37 | 35.1% |
2017 | Cameron Wake, Mia. | 10.5 | 30 | 35.0% |
2016 | Cameron Wake, Mia. | 11.5 | 33 | 34.8% |
2014 | Elvis Dumervil, Balt. | 17.0 | 49 | 34.7% |
2015 | Ezekiel Ansah, Det. | 14.5 | 42 | 34.5% |
2017 | Ezekiel Ansah, Det. | 12.0 | 35 | 34.3% |
2014 | Von Miller, Den. | 14.0 | 41 | 34.1% |
2017 | Khalil Mack, Oak. | 10.5 | 31 | 33.9% |
2016 | Erik Walden, Ind. | 11.0 | 33 | 33.3% |
2018 | Von Miller, Den. | 14.5 | 44 | 33.0% |
2018 | Jason Pierre-Paul, T.B. | 12.5 | 38 | 32.9% |
2015 | Melvin Ingram, S.D. | 10.5 | 32 | 32.8% |
2018 | Frank Clark, Sea. | 14.0 | 43 | 32.6% |
2018 | DeForest Buckner, S.F. | 12.0 | 37 | 32.4% |
2015 | Cameron Jordan, N.O. | 10.0 | 31 | 32.3% |
2016 | Von Miller, Den. | 13.5 | 42 | 32.1% |
2015 | Carlos Dunlap, Cin. | 13.5 | 42 | 32.1% |
2016 | Lorenzo Alexander, Buff. | 12.5 | 39 | 32.1% |
2017 | Cameron Jordan, N.O. | 13.0 | 42 | 31.0% |
2017 | Ryan Kerrigan, Wash. | 13.0 | 42 | 31.0% |
2016 | Kerry Hyder, Det. | 8.0 | 26 | 30.8% |
2015 | Muhammad Wilkerson, NYJ | 12.0 | 39 | 30.8% |
2017 | Justin Houston, K.C. | 9.5 | 31 | 30.6% |
2016 | Danielle Hunter, Minn. | 12.5 | 41 | 30.5% |
2017 | Jason Pierre-Paul, NYG | 8.5 | 28 | 30.4% |
2017 | Von Miller, Den. | 10.0 | 33 | 30.3% |
2016 | Joey Bosa, S.D. | 10.5 | 35 | 30.0% |
As a team, the Colts could use the help. They haven't ranked higher than 19th in sacks in any of the last four seasons. Their total over that span is better than only seven teams.
TEAM SACKS, 2015-2018 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | '15 | '16 | '17 | '18 | Tot |
Pittsburgh | 48 | 38 | 56 | 52 | 194 |
Carolina | 44 | 47 | 50 | 35 | 176 |
Denver | 52 | 42 | 33 | 44 | 171 |
Minnesota | 43 | 41 | 37 | 50 | 171 |
Arizona | 36 | 48 | 37 | 49 | 170 |
Chicago | 35 | 37 | 42 | 50 | 164 |
Washington | 38 | 38 | 42 | 46 | 164 |
Green Bay | 43 | 40 | 37 | 44 | 164 |
LA Rams | 41 | 31 | 48 | 41 | 161 |
Seattle | 37 | 42 | 39 | 43 | 161 |
Jacksonville | 36 | 33 | 55 | 37 | 161 |
Tennessee | 39 | 40 | 43 | 39 | 161 |
Kansas City | 47 | 28 | 31 | 52 | 158 |
New England | 49 | 34 | 42 | 30 | 155 |
Philadelphia | 37 | 34 | 38 | 44 | 153 |
New Orleans | 31 | 30 | 42 | 49 | 152 |
Baltimore | 37 | 31 | 41 | 43 | 152 |
Houston | 45 | 31 | 32 | 43 | 151 |
Cincinnati | 42 | 33 | 41 | 34 | 150 |
LA Chargers | 32 | 35 | 43 | 38 | 148 |
Detroit | 42 | 26 | 35 | 43 | 146 |
Dallas | 31 | 36 | 38 | 39 | 144 |
Tampa Bay | 38 | 38 | 22 | 38 | 136 |
NY Jets | 39 | 27 | 28 | 39 | 133 |
Indianapolis | 35 | 33 | 25 | 38 | 131 |
Atlanta | 19 | 34 | 39 | 37 | 129 |
San Francisco | 28 | 33 | 30 | 37 | 128 |
Cleveland | 29 | 26 | 34 | 37 | 126 |
Miami | 31 | 33 | 30 | 31 | 125 |
Buffalo | 21 | 39 | 27 | 36 | 123 |
NY Giants | 23 | 35 | 27 | 30 | 115 |
Oakland | 38 | 25 | 31 | 13 | 107 |
We had some questions about the Devin Funchess signing, but in general you have to like what the Colts are doing. Staying out of the big free agent frenzy, but patiently adding a player like Houston that fills a need. They've got an extra second-round pick, an early one (from the Jets) in next month's draft that will help as well.
--Andy Richardson