Carolina Panthers: Looking at Chris Houston flier

Dave Gettleman enjoys loading up on veteran cornerbacks, and the Carolina Panthers officially announced the signing of former Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions cornerback Chris Houston to a one-year deal yesterday. The news of Houston’s signing was overshadowed by the agreement to a two-year extension between the Panthers and star outside linebacker Thomas Davis that will pay him $18 million over the next three seasons.

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While Davis is making well-deserved bank, Houston is almost certainly signing a veteran minimum deal with no guarantees after being out of the league entirely last year. Formerly a solids starting corner in Detroit, Houston earned a sizeable contract in the 2013 offseason after being a standout in 2012, but the once-safe CB became a burn-prone liability in 2013 and was promptly released following injury issues.

Houston’s toe injury was so serious, in fact, that the Lions released him out of fear that he might never play a snap in the NFL again. Furthering that fear is the fact that no team showed interest in him ever since his release in June of last year, but that was until the Panthers decided to scoop him up yesterday after being linked to him in rumors.

On the surface, Carolina looks like the best landing spot for Houston, because this is a team that has been able to get the most out of veteran CBs with Ron Rivera and Sean McDermott on the coaching staff as two of the best defensive minds in the game today. I mean, they managed to make Drayton Florence look quite good in significant action in 2013, as that former Lion had nine passes defended that season.

Even though Houston isn’t exactly young at the age of 30 (he’ll be 31 in mid-October), he is a good deal more talented than Florence was at that stage of his career and offers more upside to the Panthers. Right now, the organization has Charles Tillman as a notable veteran corner on the roster with youngsters Bene Benwikere, Josh Norman, and Melvin White as the other top four corners on the roster.

With a major toe injury that is the same as an injury that plagued him in college, Houston’s chances of making the roster could be slim. He’s injury-prone, might not be in football shape, and is just looking to latch onto the team in some capacity. While he was once more than capable of starting in this league, Houston can’t be counted on to be a significant contributor, and the Panthers are just hoping that he can be cheap, veteran depth for a cornerback corps that is usually comprised of young guns and veterans; there isn’t much middle ground at the position in Carolina.

Despite the injury issues here and the slim chances of success, I still love the fact that Gettleman and the Carolina Panthers decided to go with Houston as their flier signing. This is a guy who has had five seasons with at least ten passes defended in his career, including one year with five picks. He plays physical, smart football and was generally disciplined in coverage, even though he spent many seasons as the only competent DB on an easily-torched secondary.

Oct 6, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Detroit Lions cornerback Chris Houston (23) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 22-9. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

If Houston can make the roster can carve out a role with the team (this is obviously a huge “if”), then he could be another great comeback story for an organization that already has their fair share of those (most prominently Thomas Davis’s).

I mean, the Panthers will give him a fair shot to compete, and that’s all he can ask for at this stage. Of course, he’ll also get to play with a front seven that includes stars like Charles Johnson, Luke Kuechly, Star Lotulelei, and Davis, and that can go a long way to helping him play effective football.

This could easily be the last chance for Chris Houston to make a mark in the league after once being a very effective starter for the Lions, and we can only hope that he’s able to surprise us.

If the toe injury isn’t an issue, then he could prove to be an excellent signing for the Panthers, and he could even work his way up to a starting role. That’s not something to expect, but it is something to look forward to as a best-case scenario.

Next: Panthers: Boykin still in good position?

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