It’s the week before Christmas! ‘Tis the season for some grace from our bosses: less to do, maybe a holiday bonus, or even - in the case of Justin Houston - permission to leave.
The Carolina Panthers cut the veteran edge rusher on Tuesday, bringing an amicable end to his short stint in the NFC South. The move comes with minimal risk to the team and allows Houston, who turns 35 in January, a chance to pursue a better opportunity - and perhaps one last chance at a Super Bowl.
As has been reported, Houston is open to playing again this season, but only for a contender.
Should the Dallas Cowboys extend an offer? Our analysis ...
As much as their ego was bruised in Sunday’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Cowboys are still contenders. At 10-4 and firmly in the conversation for the second-best team in the NFC, Dallas is presumably one of the dozen teams Houston would consider.
One argument against: Fans shouldn’t expect a late-season reinforcement on the edge because there simply isn’t any room for him.
The Cowboys are productive as a pass rush group. Pro Football Focus has the pass rush ranked third in all of football, behind just the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. They rank fifth in sack percentage, one of the dozen teams with at least 40 sacks, and sit in the top half of the league in pressure percentage.
It may not be the world-beating unit it looked like it would be after the first month of the season, but Dallas is perfectly fine in this regard.
Furthermore, the unit is also deep enough to sustain an injury. Obviously, losing superstar Micah Parsons or stalwart DeMarcus Lawrence would be detrimental, but rotational pass rushers Dante Fowler Jr., Dorance Armstrong, and Sam Williams all have a higher pass-rush win rate than Houston (9.5).
Houston did start seven games this year and he is officially a "four-time Pro Bowler.'' But his heyday was almost literally a decade ago.
The veteran has just a half sack to his name in seven games this season, struggling to stay on the field for what is a putrid Panthers defense.
A flip-side argument: Adding Houston might free Parsons to play more off-ball linebacker. ... a spot where Dallas was, as you'll remember, interesting in Shaq Leonard before he picked Philly.
But again, how would Dallas justify putting Houston on the field ahead of Dante Fowler Jr., Dorance Armstrong and Sam Williams?
If Houston comes along for the ride and provides some mentorship and depth to a stretch run, so be it. But basically any other team making a championship push makes more sense for both parties.
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