Baltimore Ravens bring back Justin Houston on 1-year deal
BALTIMORE -- Outside linebacker Justin Houston is coming back to the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year deal, the team announced Thursday.
Needing help at pass rush last offseason, the Ravens signed Houston to a one-year deal worth up to $4 million on July 31. In 15 starts in purple and black, Houston recorded 34 combined tackles, 4 1/2 sacks, 17 quarterback hits and one forced fumble.
He got his 100th career sack in the team's Week 9 loss to the Miami Dolphins, becoming the 37th player in NFL history to reach the milestone.
Houston will once again be the veteran presence in an outside linebacker room with a lot of questions. Second-year rusher Odafe Oweh is the only returning starter on track to start the regular season.
Tyus Bowser, who signed a four-year extension in March 2021, tore his Achilles in the team's season finale. Daelin Hayes, a 2021 fifth-round selection out of Notre Dame, is returning from knee and ankle injuries that limited him to one game in his rookie campaign.
Free agent addition Vince Biegel only played in five games with the Miami Dolphins last season after tearing his Achilles in 2020. The Ravens also signed Steven Means, who started 14 games in 2021 as a member of the Atlanta Falcons.
The team's second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Michigan's David Ojabo, is also rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon.
And tragically, Jaylon Ferguson died last month after overdosing on a cocktail of fentanyl and cocaine.
In May, the Ravens took the rare step of placing an unrestricted free agent tender on Houston, meaning he would count toward the team's compensatory pick formula if he signed with another organization before July 22 or the start of training camp.
Under the league rules, Houston will make 110% of his 2021 salary, per CBS Sports.