August 29 is the deadline for NFL teams to cut their rosters to 53 players, so teams will be releasing a lot of players. But it could also be a big day for trades.
Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger called Detroit Lions edge rusher James Houston one of his three surprise trade candidates for Tuesday’s deadline.
Because of the way the team has deployed him during the preseason, Spielberger identified Houston as a player that the Lions don’t have in their future plans.
“While preseason football is not quite the real product, there are still many different takeaways to be had from the action leading up to the regular season,” wrote Spielberger. “Participation data can serve as a key indicator of a player’s location on the depth chart, for example, which made Houston’s 27 snaps in the second half of preseason Week 2 quite notable.
“Detroit rested the lion’s share of its starters and top contributors, yet Houston handled a significant workload in the second half.”
Last season, Houston didn’t debuted until Week 12. But in the final seven games, he had 8 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, and 11 quarterback hits.
Lions’ James Houston a Trade or Cut Candidate?
This isn’t the first time it’s been suggested Houston might not be in Detroit’s future plans. MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke projected Houston to make the Lions’ 53-man roster but implied that there are signs he could be a cut candidate.
Meinke wrote that the second-year edge rusher has struggled “to take a step forward in camp this offseason.” He added that it’s “rarely a good sign” to be playing so many snaps with deep reserve players as Houston did this preseason.
Spielberger, though, argued the team shouldn’t just cut Houston. Instead, he wrote the Lions should attempt to get something in return for the 24-year-old.
“It appears Houston may be the odd man out in Detroit, but the Lions definitely shouldn’t release a player with three years of cheap control remaining who showed a knack for getting after the quarterback on limited snaps last season,” Spielberger wrote. “Many teams would be happy to take a flier on a developmental pass-rush specialist coming off a season with an 88.2 pass-rush grade.”
No one would be that surprised if Houston proved to be a flash in the pan. It’s not realistic for the former sixth-round pick to continue averaging more than a sack per game, especially with only 20 defensive snaps per contest. That’s what Houston averaged last season.
But his incredible production for seven games last season probably gives him trade value even on roster cutdown day when players are plentiful.
Lions’ Edge Rushing Depth Heading Into 2023
Edge rusher was often identified as a remaining team need during the offseason. But the Lions have several quality guys to choose from already on the roster.
In all likelihood, the team will be releasing an edge rusher that it would rather keep.
Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, the No. 2 pick from the 2022 NFL draft, is expected to be the leader of the group. The Lions are also hoping edge rushers Charles Harris, Romeo Okwara and Julian Okwara will bounce back.
Spielberger classified defensive end John Cominsky as an edge rusher too although he also played inside last season.
With that many potential edge rushers, there might not be enough snaps for Houston to continue developing this season.
If that’s the case, it makes sense that Houston would be worth more to the Lions as a trade candidate. But Detroit better be certain he’s not poised to dominate again as he did last season before trading him.
Lions Edge Rusher Named Trade Candidate