James Houston made his NFL debut on Thanksgiving Day 2022 against the Buffalo Bills, after being elevated from the practice squad. Two sacks of Josh Allen that day launched him to eight sacks in seven games as a situational pass rusher over the rest of his rookie season.
Last year was going to be important for Houston, to show he could do more than just pin his ears back and get after the quarterback. He didn't start in Week 1. He did start in Week 2, but he suffered a fractured ankle while covering a kick and did not play again until the NFC Championship Game.
This offseason, during a podcast appearance, Lions' scout Patrick Mularkey said he sees Houston having a big season this year.
"We had high expectations for him last year and then he broke his ankle and was out for almost the entire year. That was unfortunate but he’s back healthy now and I think he’s gonna be a really good partner in crime with Aidan Hutchinson coming off the edge there.”
This training camp is obviously very important for James Houston
To put it simply, the Lions are looking for someone to step up and offer something of substance at the edge rusher spot opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Marcus Davenport would most ideally be that guy, but there's plenty of room for others to carve out a role. Houston's raw potential is clear.
Head coach Dan Campbell was asked about Houston before Thursday's training camp practice.
"Well, I know this, he's in shape. You know he knows he's got to be able to handle the SAM linebacker position for us, and no different than what we just talked about, man, consistency. You know, we got to be able to trust that he's gonna do what he needs to do, whatever defense we call, he's gonna handle it mentally and we can trust that. And so, you know, we anticipate him taking another step forward. And then on top of that, you know, the sub game, he goes in at defensive end and some of the rush and just continue to work on his counter moves in the rush game. So, like, this will be a big camp for him. He knows that, and I know this. He's in good shape. He looks good, he feels good, and so we're excited to have back out there."
As Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports noted, Campbell's response Thursday was practically a repeat of what he said about Houston last August.
Houston will no doubt make the Lions' roster, though if anyone were to make a list of possible surprise cuts he might be on it. He will be given plenty of leeway to take the all-around step last year was originally envisioned to be. Training camp will be the clear launch point for that happening-or not, so Campbell's sentiment is not surprising.
