Panthers shore up pass rush by signing four-time Pro Bowler

Houston played the past two seasons with the Ravens and in 29 games (16 starts), he had 14 sacks. Prior to that, he spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Colts, where he had 19 sacks in 32 starts.

Houston played in Kansas City during the first eight years of his career and had 78.5 sacks with the Chiefs, including an NFL-high 22 sacks in 2014. His 111.5 career sacks are fourth-most among active players (Von Miller, Cameron Jordan, Chandler Jones).

For the Panthers, Houston is a reliable option who joins Brian Burns to form a potentially devastating pass-rush duo.

It's a savvy move for Carolina, which will need to rely on its defense to compete for the NFC South crown. As talented as rookie quarterback Bryce Young is, the Panthers can't expect him to win many shootouts in his first year.

Carolina's best chance of being competitive is its defense becoming a top-10 unit. The pieces were already there before the Houston signing. 

Defensive tackle Derrick Brown was the seventh-ranked interior defensive lineman by Pro Football Focus in 2022. Burns' 38 sacks from 2019-22 rank sixth among edge rushers over the last four seasons. Only Shaquil Barrett, Nick Bosa, Jordan, T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett have more.

Linebackers Shaq Thompson and Frankie Luvu were fantastic against the run in 2022. And in the secondary, cornerback Jaycee Horn and safeties Vonn Bell, Xavier Woods and Jeremy Chinn give the Panthers talented, versatile pieces to plug in for different formations. 

As the defense transitions from a 4-3 unit to a 3-4 under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Houston's familiarity with the scheme should allow him to get on the field quickly and also help Carolina's young edge rushers catch up to speed.

It's a win-win move for the Panthers. The only thing left to determine is how many wins it leads to during the regular season.