Colts signing Justin Houston

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by FatDT

He was supposedly effective as a run defender though as recently as last year. I don't know what Ballard and Reich's plans are for him, maybe he will not start. But if he's the best overall DE on the team, and he might be, then I'd expect him to play more than just obvious passing downs. It's not like Sheard/Turay/Lewis/whoever is so great that they're guaranteed a starting spot.

I envision him starting at RE next year. No reason not to at 6'3" 260, and as you mentioned good run defense in addition to pass rush ability.

Originally Posted by Chaka

Since you asked so nicely, I’ll tell you. The terms of the contract matter because we have a salary cap, and a good general manager needs to consider cap implications no matter how much cap space is presently available. I suspect you’ll say that we have so much cap space that we shouldn’t worry about it. It’s the same logic that drives lottery winners bankrupt a few years after winning. You ALWAYS have to consider the cap when evaluating a contract. While it is nice to have lots of cap space, a few bad deals and you’re back struggling against the cap like everyone else. I’ve explained this in detail in other threads, and won’t repeat it here, but essentially, the playing field is level as everyone has the same salary cap. It’s how you spend your allotted money that makes all the difference (and please don’t tell me that it’s all about drafting well or having a good QB – those are simply the other side of the same coin).

It seems to me that Houston is a risky signing. The degree of risk is in large part a function of the contract price. The guy is past his prime, he’s been plagued by injuries over the last few years, and he’s now changing teams and being asked to change his position. Not saying that it’s not a risk worth taking, given his history, but the risk is much greater if, for instance, his contract is fully guaranteed Kirk Cousins-style contract. If the Colts have the option of exiting after the first year (like with Hankins) then the risk is reduced.

This is not the type of signing that Ballard has made in the past. While he has brought in some veterans, they’ve mostly been low cost, serviceable role players. Ballard has emphasized youth and development. So it also concerns me that this is a departure from what I thought was his gameplan. Now, I realize he has a history with Houston, and that 30 is not over-the-hill for a pass rusher, so I remain hopeful. It also might be that Ballard is not satisfied with Turay’s development progress, and doesn’t foresee getting anyone in the draft who can immediately help. I don’t know. It’s just a striking departure from Ballard’s past strategy, so I expressed some concern.

It's a 2 year deal. This has no long term cap implications and is basically a 1 year deal with an option. In the short term, it helps the Colts meet the 89% four year rolling average threshold, and gives the team an opportunity to see if they can bring him back to his peak form, which would at least temporarily solve the team's need for an elite pass rusher. There's no downside here.