3 remaining free agents with a connection to the 2023 Vikings
By Adam Patrick
Free Agent No. 2
Justin Houston - Edge
- 2022 Team: Baltimore Ravens
- Connection to Vikings: Mike Smith - Outside linebackers coach
A few years before joining Minnesota's coaching staff in 2022, Mike Smith was an assistant coach for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2016 to 2018. In 2018, Smith was the Chiefs' outside linebackers coach, and one of the players he was tasked with helping was veteran pass rusher Justin Houston.
With Smith's guidance, Houston had an impressive season in 2018 for Kansas City, finishing with 37 tackles, 29 pressures, nine sacks, and five forced fumbles. That year, he also finished with PFF's eighth-best pass-rush grade in the entire NFL.
Last season, the 34-year-old Houston spent his time as a member of the Ravens, and despite only appearing in 44 percent of Baltimore's defensive snaps, he still ended the 2022 campaign as the team's leader in sacks with 9.5.
With Danielle Hunter's future in question, signing someone like Houston, who has already had success in the past with a member of Minnesota's coaching staff, could be something the Vikings consider doing before the start of the 2023 season.