The Lions are looking to expand James Houston's horizons
What a surprise James Houston turned out to be in 2022. The Lions took him in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and the expectations for him were pretty tempered. It was clear early on in camp that he was going to struggle at linebacker and that he just wasn't picking it up […]
What a surprise James Houston turned out to be in 2022. The Lions took him in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and the expectations for him were pretty tempered. It was clear early on in camp that he was going to struggle at linebacker and that he just wasn't picking it up as fast as the Lions hoped he would. He was ultimately cut before the season and brought back to be a part of the Lions practice squad.
After injuries hit, the Lions needed top bring him in for their Thanksgiving game against the Bills. Not much was expected though. Houston nailed his NFL debut and sacked Josh Allen twice int hat game. He would go on to play the rest of the season and rack up six more sacks. All told, James Houston finished second among rookies in sacks. Right behind teammate Aidan Hutchinson.
The big question all offseason has been about what the Lions are going to do with Houston in year two. He's essentially found money at this point. I don't know if he was ever meant to be a part of the Lions big plans this early into his career. Maybe he wasn't at all. The sixth round is usually where you take a flier on a guy. Dan Campbell gave us some insight into what the team is hoping to do with him on Tuesday.
"Yeah, I think look, we're doing a lot with him at Sam linebacker. You know when we're in base defense and and then certainly he'll play some of that sub d-end or get a chance to on third down. So we know he's got some ability some craft, but we're trying to really expand his horizons if you will, man if he can play some of this Sam backer you know."
There you go. The Lions want to expand upon what Houston can do. The hesitancy around Houston has primarily been about whether or not he can expand his game to be something more than just a situational pass rusher. If he can do that, then big things could be coming for him.
It's going to be a process though according to Campbell.
"But that it takes you know, man he's got to dive into the playbook." Campbell said. "He's got to know the calls , he's got to understand all the adjustments to formations and things of that nature. And that's where once he he grows if he can get to that point now you you know potentially he wouldn't come off the field. But he's got a long way to go before that happens."
At this point, Houston's game is like an old house. It has good bones or a good foundation, but you don't know what it can really be yet until you get in there and renovate it. That's what the Lions are doing with Houston right now. They're renovating.
Featured image by Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
