"Age is but a digit, and that's what Chicago Bears' General Manager, Ryan Poles, seems to be banking on. The sports grapevine buzzed with news on Tuesday about Poles contemplating the addition of an old colleague to his roster: Justin Houston. Houston, an accomplished athlete with four Pro Bowl appearances, has a history with Poles from their shared time at the Kansas City Chiefs.
During his first eight seasons with the Chiefs, under Poles' watch, Houston stunned the league by topping the charts with 22 sacks in 2014, an achievement that also earned him his sole All-Pro recognition. Post 2019, the nimble-footed edge rusher made a switch to Indianapolis, joining forces with Matt Eberflus and racking up 19 sacks during his two-year stint with the Colts.
Over the past couple of seasons, Houston found a new abode with the Baltimore Ravens, where, despite his age – considered senior by NFL measures – he managed to record 9.5 sacks in the last season, playing only 44% of the defensive snaps.
Reflecting on the previous year, the Bears signed Michael Schofield and Riley Reiff on July 25 and 26, respectively, to strengthen their offensive line. Poles has shown a penchant for adding veteran muscle close to the wire. Will Houston be the latest addition to this pattern? Only time will tell."
