Countdown to 2020: Best Raiders player to wear No. 99
By Brad Weiss
With only 99 days until the opening game of 2020, we start the count down with the best Raiders player at every jersey number. Today we focus on No. 99.
There have been plenty of legendary players to put on the Raiders uniform, ranging from Hall of Famers, to guys who have been inexplicably left out of Canton. Through the team’s sixty years of existence, thousands of players have come and gone, each leaving a mark on the organization, no matter how small.
With the season a few months away, we take a look at the best player to wear the jersey number of the number of days left before the opener on September 13, 2020 against Carolina. That game will kick off the new era of Raiders
We begin our series with the No. 99.
Lamarr Houston (2010-2013)
The Oakland Raiders made Lamarr Houston the No. 44 overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, selecting the dynamic edge rusher out of the University of Texas. During his time with the Longhorns, Houston led a defense that made it all the way to the national title game, although they would fall to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Still, Houston was one of the higher-rated edge rushers in the 2010 class, and immediately stepped into the starting lineup with the Raiders. Starting 15 games as a rookie, Houston had 14 quarterback hits, racked up five sacks, and had two fumble recoveries from his left end spot.
Houston played on some pretty bad Raiders teams, but remained a key part of their defense.
In four years with the team, Houston appeared in all 64 games, starting 60, and finishing his time in Oakland with 16.5 sacks. Houston played on some pretty bad Raiders teams, but remained a key part of their defense, and had his best season with the team in his final season, where he recorded six sacks.
After the 2013 season, he signed a monster contract with the Chicago Bears, where he had a career-high eight sacks in 2015. Houston retired as a Raider, signing a one-day deal back in February.
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Of course, a Hall of Famer did wear No. 99 with the Oakland Raiders, as Warren Sapp wore the number at the end of his career. At that time, Sapp was no longer a Pro Bowl player, as his string of seven straight Pro Bowls ended as soon as he landed with the Raiders, but he did play in all but six games in four seasons, racking up 19.5 sacks.