Outside linebacker Justin Houston has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported Sunday. The team later confirmed the signing.
A four-time Pro Bowler entering his 13th year in the league, Houston will bring a veteran presence to the Panthers' pass rush, an area in which the team needed improvement after ranking 25th in sacks last year. In an edge rusher group that had lacked depth, Houston should line up opposite Brian Burns as a QB-hunting duo.
Houston spent the last two years in Baltimore, playing in 29 games over that span and recording 9.5 sacks in 2022 to go along with 17 QB hits as a pass-rush specialist.
Houston has totaled 111.5 sacks in his dozen years, including recording 22 in 2014 with the Chiefs. But even nine years on from that season, Houston continues to be a dominant pass rusher, as evidenced by him recording eight or more sacks in five of the last six seasons.
The signing also reunites Houston with a familiar face, as Houston played under new Panthers head coach Frank Reich while they were both in Indianapolis from 2019-2020.
