It sounds like the Kansas City Chiefs will be getting Justin Houston back this weekend. We said the same thing last week but this time it sounds for real.
The Chiefs will begin the process of figuring out how all their pass rushers will rotate in the game. Before the season started the answer to this question was easy. Justin Houston will go back to his spot on the left side and Dee Ford and Tamba Hali will rotate in from the other side.
However, as we tend to see in football, there is a twist.
Dee Ford is in fact good now and needs to stay on the field. This is a good problem to have and one the Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton addressed when a reporter asked him about his embarrassment of riches at linebacker.
“I’m not embarrassed – I promise you that,” Sutton said. “It’s like I say all the time, it’s great to have all your players back.”
Houston hasn’t played since he had a few snaps in the playoffs last year, which is more or less 10 months ago. He will have plenty of rust to work off.
“He hasn’t really played in quite a while, so I know he’s excited to get back out there and see where exactly he’s at,” Sutton said. “We’re probably not going to know that until he goes out and plays and does it. I just think we’ll have to see. We’re excited about having him back. He’s an outstanding player. He’s going to help our defense. We just want him to be 100 percent or as close to that. I think the more he plays, the more comfortable he’s going to get.”
The Chiefs have the luxury of patience because they keep on winning. They can focus on having Houston ready for the playoffs rather than having to rush him back just to stay alive. I’m excited to see how they handle it this weekend.