NFL Free Agency 2019: 5 Best landing spots for Justin Houston
By Randy Gurzi
5. Dallas Cowboys
This one didn’t feel like a possibility until minutes before Houston was released by Kansas City. Just before that news broke, it was reported that Dallas and edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence have been unable to come to terms on a new contract. With their lack of agreement on a deal, the Cowboys hit D-Law with the franchise tag for the second season in a row.
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Since that was reported, it was also said that Lawrence has no plans to sign the tag which is worth just over $20.5 million. Lawrence is also planning to use tactics such as holding out or delaying shoulder surgery. As for Dallas, they have options beyond the tag which could include signing someone like Justin Houston to replace Lawrence as their top edge rusher.
Houston at this stage of his career wouldn’t be equal to Lawrence, but it wasn’t too long ago that he was the premier edge rusher in the NFL. In 2014, Houston recorded 22 sacks for Kansas City. He hasn’t matched that production since then, but has still been effective.
In 2017, Houston had nine sacks and followed that up with 9.5 the following year. Still, this one feels like it’s only a match if Dallas is unable to get Lawrence to agree to a number they’re comfortable paying. Otherwise, the former Chiefs value would probably be too high for the No. 2 edge rusher in Big D.