DeShawn Williams: Justin Houston will help Panthers "a ton"
Neither Justin Houston nor the Panthers had to search for answers about why the veteran agreed to a deal with the NFC South club this week.
For Houston, it was the presence of head coach Frank Reich. Houston played for Reich with the Colts and said on Tuesday that he "wanted somebody I could trust" in his next head coach.
On Carolina's side, Houston's history as an elite pass rusher was the obvious draw. Reich said Houston's talent "speaks for itself" and defensive lineman DeShawn Williams said he thinks matching Houston with Brian Burns will provide "a ton" of help.
“The man had nine and a half sacks at 33,” Williams said, via Alex Zietlow of the Charlotte Observer. “So just to have a guy who has that experience of playing at a high caliber, and who has the knowledge of that, it’s huge. Everybody knows what Burns can do. So they slide to triple-team, double-team him. But now you got another guy on the edge. Now, it’s pick your poison.”
With a rookie quarterback, the Panthers are likely to experience some ups and downs offensively in 2023. Anything the defense can do to make life easier on that side of the ball will be welcomed and Houston is now part of that plan in Carolina.
