It was easy to fear the worst when Chicago Bears outside linebacker Lamarr Houston hit the turf with an apparent knee injury, but Tom Pelissero of NFL Network and NFL.com passes along some good news:
#Bears OLB Lamarr Houston did not suffer a major injury last night, source said. No timetable yet, but good news for him.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 1, 2017
Houston avoiding a serious knee injury is a positive development on multiple fronts. First, it’s great news for Houston, a player who has gone under the knife twice in the last three seasons because of ACL injuries. After working hard to recover and get to this point in the process, only to watch it go down the drain because of another injury would have been a bitter pill to swallow for Houston. Further, an injury that isn’t serious helps Houston’s chances at making the season-opening 53-man roster, and potentially helps the Bears maintain the depth they accumulated at outside linebacker in the offseason.
When he has been available to play, Houston has been productive. He picked up eight sacks in 2015 when he completed a full 16-game season, but he missed 14 games last year and eight more in 2014. Houston also comes with a cap hit that is approximately $7 million.
The Bears could save some cash by parting ways with one of the last players left from the Phil Emery era, but would need to make sure they are OK with the depth behind him on the roster – especially with Pernell McPhee’s status still up in the air.