The Kansas City Chiefs will be without linebacker Justin Houston anywhere from six to 12 months after having surgery performed on his knee to deal with an ACL injury.
At this time one year ago, the Kansas City Chiefs were working on a deal for linebacker Justin Houston, eventually resigning their four-year veteran to a massive deal with plenty of guaranteed money. Fast forward to 2016 and it may be a while before we hear Houston’s name being mentioned for an on-field reason.
The Chiefs announced that Houston underwent a procedure on his knee that, at the worst end of the timetable, could put him out of action for the entire 2016 season:
#KCChiefs announce star pass-rusher Justin Houston had his knee scoped to "fix" his ACL on Feb. 15. Recovery ranges from 6-12 months. Yikes
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 22, 2016
Houston was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. In his first four seasons with the team, Houston combined for 48.5 sacks…including a 22 sack performance in 2014 that was just half a sack short of tying the league record for most in a season.
The Chiefs rewarded Houston with a six-year deal before the 2015 season that guaranteed him $52.5 million. He played in just 11 games last season while dealing with injuries, seeing his sack total cut down to seven and a half in 2015.
With free agency in full gear, the Chiefs may take a look at some of the top players still available at that position, including Karlos Dansby, DeMeco Ryans and Aldon Smith. Kansas City re-signed both of their top free agent linebackers – Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali – so they may choose to address that position in April’s NFL Draft.
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