KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The hamstring injury that knocked Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston out of Sunday's game on Sunday could keep him out of action for a few games, according to a report from NFL Network's Mike Garafolo confirmed by Chiefs Digest.
Houston exited Sunday's 30-14 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars after playing just 22 snaps. The Chiefs labeled Houston as questionable to return but later downgraded him out for the remainder of the game.
The 29-year-old Houston has three sacks and 11 total tackles on the season. He underwent an MRI on Monday which revealed the damage, which could keep him on the sidelines for a few games.
Head coach Andy Reid hinted during his Monday press conference that general manager Brett Veach might need to bolster the club's depth at outside linebacker. Dee Ford received a disqualification from Sunday's game, and Tanoh Kpassagnon briefly left the game after tweaking his ankle.
"He's looking at some different options, kind of juggling all that today," Reid said. "He started on last night so we just got to finish up with some of the evaluations from the docs and then we'll go on from there. But he's been on that since the evening yesterday."
The Chiefs have one potential candidate on the practice squad in rookie Rob McCray. The undrafted free agent from Indiana spent training camp with the Chiefs, and he picked up five total tackles and a sack during four preseason games with the club. McCray might be the preferred option if Houston appears a game-time decision on Sunday or doesn't expect to be out long.
The club may turn to a veteran free agent if Houston expects to miss more than a game or two.
That list of potential candidates includes Frank Zombo, who spent the past five seasons with the Chiefs. The club released the veteran during the final cut down to 53 players opening the season.
