James Houston has had quite the roller coaster of a young career with the Detroit Lions. From not making the 53-man roster as a sixth-round pick in 2022 to finishing that same season with an incredible 8-sack outburst in six games, then falling back down the depth chart last summer before suffering a serious leg injury in 2023, Houston has been all over the Lions map.
Thursday’s practice session was a roller coaster in and of itself for Houston. One rep after smoking rookie Giovanni Manu around (and under) the tackle, Houston got a verbal tongue-lashing from defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for getting caught inside on an outside run and not trying all that hard (in Glenn’s eyes) to get off the block. He had a pass deflection but also got mixed up in another coverage assignment that led to a big completion.
It’s a big summer for Houston as he looks to assert himself in the competition in the EDGE spot opposite Aidan Hutchinson. For that to happen, the roller coaster needs to keep climbing the hill and hit a straightaway for a while. That’s essentially what Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Houston before Thursday’s practice.
“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, consistency,” Campbell said. “We have to be able to trust that he’s going to do what he needs to do and that whatever defense we call, he’s going to handle it mentally and we can trust that.”
After praising Houston’s physical condition and noting the team is excited to have him back out there, Campbell added the obvious,
“This will be a big camp for him.”
