Justin Houston leaves Baltimore without a deal

The Baltimore Ravens had pass rusher Justin Houston in for a visit on Wednesday as the two parties learned a bit more about each other and what they’d be looking for. Houston would fill an immediate position of need while also bringing veteran leadership to an outside linebacker group that includes Tyus Bowser and Jaylon Ferguson.

While the visit lasted for most of Wednesday, it was reported by Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic that Houston has left Baltimore without a deal.

Just because a player leaves a city without a deal doesn’t mean that they won’t return and sign an agreement later. The Ravens had that situation earlier in the offseason, when Sammy Watkins left Baltimore without a contract to visit with the Indianapolis Colts, only to return a few days later and sign with Baltimore for one year.

Zrebiec notes that the visit between Baltimore and Houston went well and there’s mutual interest, but he echoes the reports that the Ravens want to wait until May 3rd to sign any unrestricted free agent, when compensatory picks will no longer be negated for signing such free agents.

As Zrebiec touches on, the Colts are also interested in Houston, creating an interesting dilemma if the 10-year veteran wants to sign before the draft. If Indianapolis is willing to give Houston a deal before the May 3rd deadline that Baltimore is hoping to wait for, he might opt to return to his former team, as there have been rumblings that he wants to sign before the draft.

Houston’s visit with the Ravens might be over, but that doesn’t mean Baltimore has no shot at striking a deal with him. The visit went well and there’s mutual interest, which is a promising sign. It seems like the Ravens want to add a veteran pass rusher, and Houston fits the bill of what the team should be looking for.