Dan Campbell admits James Houston’s roster spot a ‘hard decision’

James Houston was one of the first players out of Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell’s mouth when talking about individual standouts from the preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Houston had a couple of rushes,” Campbell said. “He’s been out (with injury), so it was good to see him there.”

But in that compliment lies one of the many complications when it comes to Houston’s place on this roster. The Lions know what Houston can do as a pass rusher when he’s healthy. The memory of his rookie season—eight sacks in seven games—is not that far in the rear view mirror. However, since then Houston’s career has been marred by injury. He broke his ankle in Week 2 last year and only returned for a minimal role in the Lions’ playoff run. And this summer he’s missed almost half of training camp with a bone bruise in his knee. It’s hard to evaluate a player’s growth and potential when they’re spending so much time on the sideline.

The other tricky part with Houston is his limited scope. For over a year, the Lions attempted to make Houston a SAM linebacker, hoping to hone his impressive athleticism into a versatile role that includes dropping into coverage and setting the edge in addition to his undeniable passing rushing skills. But just a couple weeks ago, the Lions put an end to that experiment to—in their words—“keep him as a dynamic rusher.”

Houston has proven he can thrive at that role. The reason he even got on the field his rookie season—as Campbell was quick to point out again on Saturday—was that he was giving their tackles—two of the best offensive tackles in the league—absolute hell in practice on daily basis.

But when building a 53-man roster, the more versatility from players you have, the more you can withstand injuries. Houston presents a difficult conundrum. He’s extremely limited in roles, but he also does one of the most valuable things a defender can do: gets to the quarterback. Can you excuse a lack of versatility for some pass rushing chops?

The lack of versatility and missed time are, unfortunately, important factors here, and Campbell admits it leaves Detroit with a tough decision.

“That’s going to be a hard decision for (GM) Brad (Holmes) and myself,” Campbell said. “It is, one way or another. Because that’s kind of what you’re asking, is it enough? And it’s hard to say that right now.”

Detroit has some options in their reserves, too. Undrafted rookie Isaac Ukwu continued his strong preseason with another sack, and he now finishes with a sack in all three Lions preseason games. Mitchell Agude, too, has had a strong preseason and camp, and he’s recently picked up some of the SAM linebacker duties that Houston relinquished.

Houston is one of many tricky roster decisions the Lions will face in the next three days, but with pass rush being such an important aspect to the game, this could be one of their most important decisions, as well.