Getty The Detroit Lions announced on January 18 that they have activated linebacker James Houston from injured reserve.
The final significant missing piece of the Detroit Lions defense is officiating returning. The Lions announced on January 18 that they have activated linebacker James Houston from injured reserve.
“Lions have activated LB James Houston from Injured Reserve and waived LB Julian Okwara,” the Lions official X (formerly Twitter) account posted.
#Lions have activated LB James Houston from Injured Reserve and waived LB Julian Okwara.
Houston has spent nearly the entire season on injured reserve. He exited the Week 2 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks with an ankle injury.
His official injury was a broken fibula. MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke reported Houston underwent surgery that inserted one plate, four screws and two tight ropes into the hurt leg.
It will be interesting to see how much Houston will be able to play in his return. Lions head coach Dan Campbell explained on January 5 that it’s a lot to ask a young player to make a return from injury during a playoff game.
But even if he plays a small role, his return could be significant.
In parts of two games this season, Houston posted 1 combined tackle and 1 quarterback hit. But in the final seven games during 2022, he had 8 sacks, 7 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits.
To make room for Houston on the active roster, the Lions released Okwara, who had been with the team since Detroit selected him in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft. Okwara posted 9 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits in 38 games with the Lions.
Lions Activate James Houston on Injured Reserve
The Lions and Detroit fans have been waiting in anticipation for Houston’s return for some time. On December 6, Houston told reporters that he thought he’d return in time to play at the end of the regular season.
That would have allowed Houston to get reacclimatized to game conditions in contests that weren’t win-or-go home.
This is the end of Houston’s second NFL season, but the linebacker has only played in nine NFL games. That lack of experience, particularly in the playoffs, could make it tough to trust Houston for a lot of snaps against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC divisional matchup.
Houston’s upside, though, is undeniable, which is why the Lions activated him.
Despite only playing half of last season, he finished second to only Aidan Hutchinson in sacks for the Lions.
Coming into this season, Houston was expected to be Detroit’s other bookend pass rusher with Hutchinson. But without Houston, Detroit’s pass rush has been Hutchinson and small contributions from other role players.
If Houston can give the Lions another edge rusher who can pressure the quarterback, then Detroit can shore up its pass defense. That’s been the biggest weakness for the team most of the season.
Without that weakness, the Lions become a more complete team that is a more dangerous threat to win the Super Bowl.
Lions Waive Veteran LB Julian Okwara
Unfortunately for Detroit, the cost of gaining Houston was losing another one of the team’s edge rushers.
The Lions drafted Okwara at No. 67 overall in the 2020 NFL draft. He posted 5 sacks and 9 quarterback hits during his second season, but Okwara was never able to build off of that 2021 campaign. In fact, he didn’t match those totals in the last two regular seasons combined.
It’s a shame to lose Okwara, but with Houston returning, the Lions don’t really lose any edge rushing depth. Also, Okwara was set to become a free agent at the end of the regular season.
Houston’s return from injured reserve likely only sped up Okwara’s departure from Detroit.
Okwara had 7 combined tackles, including 2 tackles for loss, 4 quarterback hits and 2 sacks in 9 games during 2023.