Fear not, Kansas City Chiefs faithful - Justin Houston will be on the field in 2016.
Houston, the Chiefs' star pass rusher who has spent the last several seasons playing opposite Tamba Hali in the Big Red defensive unit, suffered a knee injury late in the 2015 season, which hindered his play and hampered his overall output, even into the playoffs. Houston underwent a surgical procedure, initially dubbed a clean out, shortly after the Chiefs' postseason loss to the New England Patriots and was expected to be fully healthy for the 2016 NFL season.
But then Kansas City head trainer Rick Burkholder spoke at the NFL owner's meetings, and all hell broke loose. Houston was suddenly expected to miss six to 12 months, though Burkholder wasn't exactly forthcoming on the reason, simply saying that there was more damage than expected and that Houston's prognosis was worse than initially feared.
That, of course, led to the inevitable "Justin Houston's 2016 season is in jeopardy." Look. We wrote one.
However, Chiefs fans got a dose of good news on Friday, as Kansas City GM John Dorsey told reporters that Houston is ahead of schedule in his rehab and expected to play for the Chiefs this upcoming season.
"Our doctors have reassured us that Justin will be playing this season," Dorsey said.
That's good news for Chiefs fans eager to see their team build on last year's promising finish and win one, maybe more playoff games in 2016.
Really, it's also good news for Chiefs fans who are concerned over the team's pass rush. Hali, now 32, remains an effective player - he finished 2015 with 48 tackles, 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles - but he's no longer the consistent impact presence he once was. He's slowing down and, as a result, his path to the quarterback isn't quite so clear these days.
If Dee Ford, the team's first-round pick in 2014, can take a step forward, missing Houston for however many games to start the year may not be so bad. But Ford, despite some flashes last season, has yet to prove that he's worthy of a full-time starting gig.
Options, of course, abound in the 2016 NFL Draft, and it's entirely possible that the Chiefs make a player like Clemson's Shaq Lawson or Kevin Dodd, or Oklahoma State's Emmanuel Ogbah their pick at No. 28 in the first round later this month.
However, for 2016, the Chiefs clearly won't be the same team without Houston on the field. The sooner he can get back, the better chance that the Chiefs and their vaunted defense have of repeating as NFL playoff entrants.
