The Detroit Lions appeared to find a diamond in the rough when they drafted linebacker James Houston in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft. But now entering his third season, it doesn’t appear to be guaranteed that Houston will make Detroit’s Week 1 roster.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell implied to reporters following the team’s 24-17 preseason finale victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers that Houston is on the roster bubble.
“That’s gonna be a hard decision for Brad [Holmes] and myself,” said Campbell, via The Detroit News’ Nolan Bianchi.
Houston has been a very productive player from a pass rushing standpoint in his short NFL career. In just nine games from 2022-23, he recorded 8 sacks and 12 quarterback hits.
But injuries have become a major storyline in his career as well. Houston missed most of last season because of a fractured ankle. He also dealt with a bone bruise in one of his knees this preseason.
The NFL’s final roster cutdown day is Tuesday, August 27. The Lions will have to determine if Houston is worthy of a roster spot by then.
Lions’ LB James Houston Helped His Cause With Sack Against Steelers
Some Lions fans on X (formerly Twitter) took Campbell’s admission that Houston is on the roster bubble as an indication that he will not make the roster. But Houston did his best to make the decision truly a hard one.
Houston cleanly beat Steelers right tackle Spencer Anderson for a sack during the second quarter on August 24.
“James Houston in the backfield for the sack,” the official Lions X account tweeted as a caption for the play.
.@jthouston_4 in the backfield for the sack❗️
#PITvsDET | 📺 Lions TV Network
In addition to the sack, Houston registered 2 quarterback hits and 3 total tackles against Pittsburgh.
A year ago, it was hard to imagine Houston not finishing his rookie contract with the Lions. The 25-year-old burst onto the scene at the end of his rookie 2022 season with 8 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits and 12 combined tackles while playing just 140 defensive snaps.
Maintaining that pace of production was going to be difficult for Houston in 2023. But the expectation was he would develop into a bookend pass rusher opposite defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.
Houston, though, suffered his ankle injury in Week 2 of last season and then didn’t return until the NFC championship game.
Will Houston Make the Lions Roster to Open the 2024 NFL Season?
With more depth at edge rusher than last season, the Lions tried shifting Houston to SAM linebacker this summer. But Houston is far more effective rushing the passer than anything else, including dropping back in coverage.
So the big question surrounding Houston is whether his ability to pressure quarterbacks will be enough to earn him a roster spot in Detroit.
Asked Campbell how to evaluate a player like James Houston, who only offers one thing schematically, but it’s a really good thing. The coach said he and Brad Holmes have a really difficult decision to make on Houston because of that (plus injury limited him during camp).
ESPN’s Eric Woodyard and SI.com’s Vito Chirco both included Houston among the players who will make Detroit’s final roster.
“While Houston hasn’t exactly been ultra impressive in camp, he possesses the skillset to be explosive rushing the passer off the edge –a skill he showcased consistently as a rookie,” wrote Chirco. “I believe that’ll be enough for him to land a roster spot.”
However, AtoZ Sports’ Mike Payton predicted Houston will not make the roster.
“James Houston has had a bad summer. I know fans love him, but it’s very hard to find a spot for him,” Payton wrote. “Especially after he essentially got demoted recently when the team finally gave up trying to make him a SAM linebacker.
“The battle for a final spot is down to Isaac Ukwu and Mitchell Agude. I went with Ukwu because he’s recently received a lot of praise from Campbell.”
While Campbell praised Houston after the preseason finale, he was also complimentary again of Isaac Ukwu, who had 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss and 2 solo tackles against the Steelers.
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Lions’ Dan Campbell Makes Admission on LB James Houston After Preseason Finale