The Browns claimed Houston off waivers Wednesday. Houston was waived by Detroit on Tuesday, but he has quickly found a new home in Cleveland. The 2022 sixth-round pick had a promising rookie season with the Lions, during which he logged 8.0 sacks in just seven regular-season games. However, Houston played just two regular-season games in 2023 due to a fractured ankle suffered in Week 2, and he has managed to accrue only 1.0 sacks across his last 10 outings, eight of which have come in 2024. Houston will get a new opportunity with the Browns, and he will serve as a rotational defensive end behind starters Myles Garrett and Isaiah McGuire.
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Status
ACTIVELatest James Houston news
Team
Cleveland Browns
Birthdate
11/16/1998 (26)
Status
Active
HT/WT
6'1", 248 lbs
Draft Info
2022: Rd 6; Pk (DET)
Birthplace
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
Position
DE
College
Jackson State
Experience
3 seasons
Career History
Cleveland Browns
2024-Present
(1 season)
Detroit Lions
2022-2024
(3 seasons)
The Browns claimed Houston off waivers Wednesday. Houston was waived by Detroit on Tuesday, but he has quickly found a new home in Cleveland. The 2022 sixth-round pick had a promising rookie season with the Lions, during which he logged 8.0 sacks in just seven regular-season games. However, Houston played just two regular-season games in 2023 due to a fractured ankle suffered in Week 2, and he has managed to accrue only 1.0 sacks across his last 10 outings, eight of which have come in 2024. Houston will get a new opportunity with the Browns, and he will serve as a rotational defensive end behind starters Myles Garrett and Isaiah McGuire.
The Lions waived Houston on Tuesday. A sixth-round pick in 2022, Houston had a huge rookie season, recording 8.0 sacks across seven games. But getting to the quarterback proved to be a challenge in 2023 and 2024, as Houston has just 1.0 sacks across 10 appearances since the start of last season. He'll look for a fresh start elsewhere and could even garner some interest on waivers.
Houston (knee) recorded three total tackles (one solo), including a sack, in Saturday's 24-17 win over the Steelers. Houston had been nursing a knee injury that he suffered in the team's preseason opener against the Giants, but he made the most of his opportunity in his return against Pittsburgh. The linebacker notched a sack on quarterback Kyle Allen in the second quarter while playing 22 defensive snaps with Detroit in the contest. Although Houston has proven himself when healthy, head coach Dan Campbell said following the game that he and general manager Brad Holmes will have a tough decision to make on whether the linebacker cracks the 53-man roster, Justin Rogers of the Detroit Football Network reports.
Houston suffered a bone bruise in his knee during Thursday night's preseason loss to the Giants, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports. Coming off a mostly lost 2023 season that saw him appear in just two regular-season games due to a broken ankle, Houston was itching to hit someone Thursday and landed a big lick on Drew Lock in the first half. Houston was later injured, but the timetable for his return is unclear. Houston recorded eight sacks in seven games as a 2022 rookie, and the Lions are banking on him providing some pass-rush juice alongside Aidan Hutchinson this season.
The Lions re-signed Houston as an exclusive rights free agent Monday. Houston is coming off a mostly lost 2023 campaign, as a fractured ankle suffered Week 2 kept him sidelined until Detroit's loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. He impressed as a rookie back in 2022, racking up 8.0 sacks despite suiting up for just seven games, so it makes sense for the Lions to retain Houston and work to continue his development.
Houston recorded one tackle in two games during the 2023 season. Houston was expected to handle a large workload as a pass rusher after racking up eight sacks as a rookie in 2022. However, he suffered a fractured ankle in Week 2 and didn't see the field again until the Lions' season-ending loss to the 49ers in the NFC championship game. Now set to become an exclusive-rights free agent at the end of the league year, Houston is a strong candidate to return to Detroit in 2024.