James Houston was a healthy scratch for the Detroit Lions Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams. The Lions didn’t need Houston’s services in the game, a contest where the Detroit pass rush completely dominated the decimated Rams line without him.
Yet already, the dynamic has changed. Marcus Davenport, who was outstanding in his Lions debut against the Rams, is doubtful with a groin injury. In Dan Campbell’s world, doubtful means out, leaving Detroit down an impact EDGE.
Aidan Hutchinson was unstoppable in the win over the Rams, but Davenport’s strong presence on the opposite side of the formation created an excellent balance for the Lions pass rush. Outside of those two, Detroit didn’t get much from the EDGEs. Josh Paschal was ineffective in his 20-plus snaps, failing to record a single stat. Levi Onwuzurike, who technically started the game ahead of Davenport, was a lot more effective playing to his inside; the 300-ish pound Onwuzurike isn’t a threat to win around the outside.
Davenport’s anticipated absence creates an opening for a player who can win around the edge. A player who can get off the ball quickly and then bend the corner to get to the quarterback.
A player like James Houston.
The Houston from the final weeks of the 2022 campaign, specifically. Houston was “Da Problem” for opposing quarterbacks, with eight sacks in six games after not playing at all before then.
He’s done next to nothing since, falling on the depth chart the following summer before suffering a serious leg injury in Week 2 of 2023 while playing special teams. Houston was in real danger of not making the Lions 53-man roster, based on Dan Campbell’s own words. But they kept him for a reason.
A game like this one, against Tampa Bay, is that exact reason. With injuries forcing the issue, Houston offers skills no one else on the Lions defense can replicate. It’s his time to shine, to prove he still belongs.