Potential Eagles free-agent replacements for Brandon Graham

Potential Eagles replacements for Derek Barnett: Justin Houston

The NFL’s decision to adjust the salary cap number for its 32 teams following a season ravaged by coronavirus couldn’t have come at a worse time for the guys hitting the free-agency market. It’s for that reason that Justin Houston landed in Baltimore with the Ravens for less money than he probably would have liked to have earned.

If the Ravens now decide to allow Houston to walk come March, he’ll be one of the top EDGE guys on the list of every team that needs one. In eight seasons as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Pro Football Focus only gave him a grade below 79.0 once.

He racked 19 sacks in 32 regular-season games with the Indianapolis Colts from 2019 to 2020 including eight QB takedowns in 2020, and according to some, that was supposed to be an off-year. The 4.5 sacks that he produced in 2021is the second-lowest statistical output of his 11-year career and his worst season since 2016, a year where he only played in five games but produced four sacks.

It’s hard to determine how teams will value Houston and what his price tag will be. He also turns 33 years young in January, so there has to be concern about regression. Still, even with all of that being said, he’s better than Ryan Kerrigan. He’s more productive than Derek Barnett. If the Birds are looking for a bargain, and Houston falls under that category, this could be an option worth exploring.