The Baltimore Ravens had a need at the outside linebacker position heading into the 2022 offseason. They tried to address it in free agency by agreeing to terms with Za’Darius Smith, but the deal ended up falling through. They drafted Michigan star David Ojabo in the second round of the 2022 draft, but the torn achilles injury he suffered at his Pro Day complicates when he’ll return to the field, not to mention Tyus Bowser is also working his way back from the same injury
Baltimore needed more depth at outside linebacker, and on Thursday they announced that veteran Justin Houston agreed to terms with the team on a one-year deal. The 33-year-old returns to the Ravens after spending the 2021 season with the organization.
Welcome back @JHouston50
We’ve agreed to terms on a 1-year deal
pic.twitter.com/VoB58dJodb
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 7, 2022
Houston’s presence on the field and in the locker room will be helpful to all the young players on the defense. He will continue to be a mentor to players like Odafe Oweh, Daelin Hayes, and rookie David Ojabo.
Houston played in 15 games last season, racking up 34 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He has a total of 485 tackles and 102 sacks over the course of his 11-year career. His box score stats might not have popped off of the page in 2021, but his impact went far beyond the stats sheet, and he should be an important member of the Baltimore defense in 2022.