Down both starting defensive ends, perhaps for the rest of the season, the Detroit Lions could be turning to one of the best pass rushers from their late-2022 push for help.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said Friday that James Houston could have a rotational role on the Lions' reconfigured defensive line for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Aidan Hutchinson broke the tibia and fibula in his left leg last week against the Dallas Cowboys and is out four to six months, and Marcus Davenport will miss the rest of the season with a torn triceps he suffered in September.
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"I think there’s a chance that (Houston) goes to the game here and there may be a place for him," Campbell said. "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."
Houston had eight sacks in seven games as a designated pass rusher for the Lions in 2022, but has played sparingly since. He missed most of last season with a broken leg and has been a healthy scratch most of this year, playing just 17 snaps in two games.
Houston played a backup role in the Lions' Week 4 win over the Seattle Seahawks, their first game without Davenport, but had two offsides penalties and no tackles. He then was inactive last week against the Cowboys, behind practice squad callup Isaac Ukwu.
Houston is not as complete a player as Hutchinson, who leads the NFL with 7½ sacks, but he has a unique skill set as an edge rusher and could help a Lions defense that ranks 17th in the NFL in sack percentage.
Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams said Houston had "a good week" of practice this week, and Campbell said he has "a great opportunity" to earn playing time going forward.
"On this football team, you got to earn everything that you get, and Houston's no different than the rest of the guys," Williams said. "If you play well, you'll play. If you don't play well, you won't. It's as simple as that. That's what Dan believes in, that's what (Aaron Glenn) believes in and that's what I believe in. So we're all on the same page.."
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Defensive tackle Kyle Peko underwent surgery Thursday to repair his partially torn pectoral muscle. ... As part of the crowd noise they pumped into practice this week, the Lions included the distinct sound of the Vikings' Gjallarhorn. Told reporters could hear it through the walls of the indoor practice facility Thursday, Campbell asked, "Is it annoying? 'Cause the point of it’s supposed to be annoying. It’s supposed to annoy (the players)."
