Kansas City Chiefs: Cutting Justin Houston not a realistic scenario

Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston was number one on USA Today’s list of NFL stars who could be cut this offseason. Yeah, that’s not going to happen.

Steven Ruiz of USA Today wrote a piece that was published on Monday noting 25 NFL stars who could be cut from their teams during the offseason. Number one on that list was the Kansas City Chiefs‘ own Justin Houston, who has been with the team since 2011.

Here is what Ruiz said on why he thinks Houston should be cut,

"Houston has struggled to stay on the field and his production has slipped as a result. With the Chiefs looking to get younger on defense, Houston will have a hard time sticking around. He can still be a Pro Bowl level player if he can stay healthy."

When I initially saw this list, I assumed a few Chiefs would be on it, but would never have guessed Houston would be appearing on it, let alone at number one. At first, I thought, “Hmm… You know, Houston hasn’t been all that good lately”, but then when sitting down and actually thinking about it, cutting him makes zero sense.

In the NFL, there are some positions that are far more important than others, and Justin Houston fills one of those positions. That’s the pass rushing aspect, something that the Chiefs lacked tremendously last year. Why would they give up someone who fills that need?