Edge defender James Houston of the Detroit Lions returned to practice last week, but according to the most recent update from coach Dan Campbell, the pass rusher isn’t expected to play in the regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.
“I don’t see Houston (playing) right now,” Campbell said Tuesday morning on 97.1 The Ticket.
Houston suffered an ankle injury in the team’s Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks and has been out since. Last Thursday, the Lions began his evaluation clock, with one practice before Detroit’s game against the Cowboys last Saturday. The Lions now have two weeks to decide whether or not to activate him from injured reserve.
Last year, Houston appeared out of nowhere in the final few months of the season, providing a significant boost to Detroit’s pass rush. He racked up 8.0 sacks in just seven games.
It’s disappointing that Houston won’t be ready for the season finale. As Houston stated last week, he is a young player who would benefit greatly from more playing time.
“Experience has always been what I’ve been lacking a little bit,” Houston told reporters. “I haven’t played a lot of football.” Even in high school, I only played for one year. I didn’t play much in college. I also played 10 games in the league. It’s really just experience, seeing different formations, feeling how things feel, understanding how I fit into different defenses and making plays in different defenses. Just random stuff like that.”
Nonetheless, Houston appears to be on track to return for the Lions’ Wild Card round home playoff game. He’ll undoubtedly have to shake off some rust on the fly, but his unique pass rushing abilities could still provide some big-play potential for Detroit’s defense.
