James Houston Released by Lions

James Houston Released by Lions

The Detroit Lions just made an interesting move. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Lions have officially waived pass rusher James Houston.

The #Detroit Lions are releasing pass rusher James Houston, per sources.

Houston had eight sacks as a rookie in 2022 but has been in and out of the Detroit lineup since then. pic.twitter.com/rDJiWTtxn4

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 26, 2024

After being a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Houston burst onto the scene with eight sacks as a rookie. Perhaps you remember his performance on Thanksgiving of that year against Buffalo, where he notched two sacks and a fumble recovery. The heater didn’t stop there, though, as Houston became just the third player ever to have a sack in his first four games. The other players in that category are Terrell Suggs and Santana Dotson. He had eight sacks in seven games, and the sky seemed the limit for his sophomore season.

The Fall-Off

Unfortunately, Houston was placed on injury reserve in September of 2023 with an ankle injury and missed the majority of the season. Since then, he has gotten lost in the shuffle of a very impressive Detroit pass rushing group. For example, Detroit recently signed veteran defensive end Za’Darius Smith. It seemed like his role would increase after the injury to Aiden Hutchinson earlier this season, but that just didn’t happen.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell didn’t seem too sad about Houston’s departure in a statement made Tuesday. Per Sports Illustrated, Campbell said,” It just didn’t (work out), it just didn’t…we had James up for a number of games, came back off the injury and got back and just never quite worked out. Look, wish him the best of luck, and sometimes you just need a fresh start. So, wish him the best.”

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It will be interesting to see if anyone else gives Houston a chance, as it is obvious that the talent is there, or was at least. Regardless, James Houston will finish his tenure in Detroit with nine sacks, 21 tackles, and eight tackles for loss in 17 career games played.

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