The Detroit Lions have lost a starting pass rusher to major injury in each of their last three games. In Week 3, EDGE Marcus Davenport was lost for the season, followed by SAM Derrick Barnes in Week 4. After the bye week, Detroit lost NFL Defensive Player of the Year front-runner Aidan Hutchinson.
That creates an all-hands-on-deck situation for the Lions in addressing the pass rush. Yet there’s one Lions pass rusher with a supernova of production from his rookie season who is seemingly at the bottom of the deck.
James Houston.
Despite his eight sacks in six games at the end of the 2022 season, Houston has been a healthy scratch most of the season–including Week 6 in Dallas, when the Lions played without Davenport and Barnes. Undrafted rookie and practice squad call-up Isaac Ukwu got the nod instead of Houston and showed some (largely unrefined) ability in the blowout win over Dallas.
From rookie star to healthy scratch on a team desperate for the one thing he does well, it seems like Houston has one last shot to salvage any career with the Lions. Detroit head coach Dan Campbell very much sounded that way when asked about Houston and the opportunity in front of him in the Week 7 showdown with the Minnesota Vikings.
Here’s Campbell’s full answer,
“Yeah, I think there’s a chance that he goes to the game here and there may be a place for him. He’s been practicing this week and it’s kind of like – so, yeah, there could be a place here, but it’s like everything else, it’s about the reps in practice, what they look like, and then even when you get in the game, what do those look like?
And if they’re good and there’s production and discipline, then keep putting him in, and if it’s not, put somebody else in. But yeah, this is a great opportunity. It’s a great opportunity for him.”
If Campbell’s words seem familiar, they should. Houston was poised with a golden opportunity to fill Marcus Davenport’s shoes in Week 2 against Tampa Bay. In Detroit’s only loss in 2024, Houston played just three snaps.
Another opportunity came in the Lions’ Week 4 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. Alas, Houston was completely nullified; in 13 pass rush snaps, he recorded one generously credited pressure by PFF and ended (by my film review) nine plays on the ground. Week 4 was Detroit’s first game without Davenport permanently, and also when SAM backer Derrick Barnes went down with a bad injury.
With Campbell effectively declaring newcomer Isaiah Thomas not ready to play yet in Minnesota, this is indeed a great opportunity for Houston to prove he still belongs. It’s also probably the last one Houston will get if he doesn’t impress Campbell and the coaches.
It seemed telling earlier in the week when Campbell rattled off the names of four practice squad players (Ukwu, Mitchell Agude, Muhammad Al-Quadin, Cam Gill) before briefly mentioning Houston’s name as potential solutions for replacing Hutchinson’s production. Be it a lack of desired size, an inability to play the run, or the physically diminished ability from a serious ankle injury suffered at the beginning of 2023, it feels like this is Houston’s last chance to make a mark.
If not now, when?