Kansas City Chiefs: Ten players who must have big seasons in 2018

Outside linebacker Justin Houston #50 of the Kansas City Chiefs (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images )

NUMBER 2: JUSTIN HOUSTON

In 2014, Justin Houston had 22 sacks on the year. Since then, he’s totaled 21 over the span of three years. Houston did notch 9.5 sacks last season, but in 2015 and 2016, he was injured far too much to wreck any sort of havoc on opposing offenses.

Houston was rewarded for that 2014 performance with a six-year deal worth $101 million. It’s easy to say that Houston has not lived up to what he’s being paid. He showed signs of getting back into the swing of things last year, but 2018 is a telling year for the former Georgia Bulldog.

Houston is heading into year four of his six-year deal and this will be a very important year for the pass rusher. He’s not going to get cut this summer (at least he shouldn’t be), but this time next year we could be singing a different tune.

For Justin Houston to save his spot on the Chiefs roster, he needs to have a double-digit sack season this year. Otherwise, next summer could be a whole lot of speculating what the future will look like for Houston as a Chief.