Houston says system led to his signing
Outside linebacker faked out Chiefs fans and almost joined Steelers
By Jonas Shaffer
Outside linebacker Justin Houston didn’t take long to win his first news conference as a Raven.
The four-time Pro Bowl selection, who on Monday signed a one-year deal worth up to $4 million, said Saturday that he picked the Ravens over a richer free-agent offer from rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I was so close to signing with the Steelers,” Houston said after his second practice in Owings Mills. “That was crazy. They were one of the teams I was considering.”
The Steelers weren’t the only AFC contender Houston was linked to. Days before he agreed to a deal with the Ravens, Houston shared photos of himself working out in a Kansas City Chiefs helmet, leading to speculation about a potential reunion. Houston, who led the NFL with 22 sacks during Kansas City’s 2014 season, called it an honest mistake.
“I think everybody just made assumptions,” he said. “I had to work out. I needed a helmet. That’s the only helmet I had in my house, so I put it on.”
Ultimately, the Ravens’ defensive system won Houston over. Cornerback Marcus Peters, a former Chiefs teammate, called Houston after his 2020 season with the Indianapolis Colts ended and told him that he was needed on the Ravens’ pass rush. Houston recalled Saturday that Peters called the system “perfect” for him.
Houston, 32, visited the team in April and “fell in love” with the defense, he said, though he didn’t sign until months later. He’ll be the most accomplished veteran of an edge-rush group that lost Matthew Judon and Yannick Ngakoue this offseason.
“I just want opportunities to have one-onones and to be able to put pressure on the quarterback,” Houston said. “I think this was the best scheme for me and what I was looking for.”
Defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale said Wednesday that Houston is flexible enough to line up at a number of positions, “so that’s going to be fun.” Houston didn’t elaborate on how he might be used, but he was convinced it would work out.
Defense dominates offense
The scoreboard behind the end zone at the edge of the Ravens’ practice field said it all: Defense 58, Offense 25.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s return from the reserve/COVID-19 list after a second infection was a rare highlight for the offense at training camp Saturday. Dropped passes, overthrown deep shots, unproductive check-downs and blown-up pass protections dotted the morning practice, the latest with a handful of potential starters missing.
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Wide receivers Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (hamstring) and Rashod Bateman (muscle tightness) and guard Kevin Zeitler (foot) remained out, along with wide receiver Miles Boykin (hamstring). Left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) and tight end Nick Boyle (knee) have yet to be cleared to practice. And, again, it showed.
“That’s how it works; that’s the process of it,” Harbaugh said of the offense’s struggles. “That’s practice. You have to challenge yourself in practice every day. We have a saying, ‘Bleed now, or sweat later.’ So you have to push yourself, you have to push the envelope.”
Jackson, Trace McSorley and Tyler Huntley all completed less than 50% of their passes in 11-on-11 action, bothered in part by the pass rush.
Even with standout rookie outside linebacker Daelin Hayes missing, the Ravens got would-be sacks and pressures from edge rushers Odafe Oweh, Tyus Bowser and Aaron Adeoye, among others.
“The offensive line may be the toughest position to play and be cohesive on,” Harbaugh said. “So I don’t think the first couple days, first week, two weeks, even during training camp, you don’t look at that and say, ‘Oh, we’re not going to be good in that area.’ We throw a lot at them, and it’s the toughest thing to do. So that’s the unit that has to be really step-for-step in sync. That’s probably the toughest thing to do, so it takes the most time.”