James Houston of the Detroit Lions: “I’m Ready to Go Out There and Ball”
James Houston, welcome back. This week marked the end of the second-year defender’s 21-day practice window, and the Lions made the decision to activate him from injured reserve on Thursday. The organization also waived Julian Okwara, an outside linebacker. After breaking his ankle in a Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Houston had been placed on injured reserve.
After sitting down for three months and not playing football of any kind, Houston told reporters on Thursday that there would be some rust. “That’s what we’ve been trying to work off in this 21-day activation period. Hopefully, I feel like I’m good enough to go out there and go.” For more information,
The Jackson State graduate had only registered one tackle and one QB hit before the injury. But Houston made a significant impact on the scene the previous season. See also: Arguably, Who Is the Lions’ “Secret Weapon” Against the Bucs? The 2022 sixth-round selection made his debut on Thanksgiving against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, having spent the better part of his rookie season on the practice squad. He had an instant impact. He recovered a fumble and had two sacks of the Pro Bowl quarterback. It was the beginning of a run of four games in a row in which the relatively unknown rookie had at least one sack.
Houston finished the 2022 season with eight sacks in seven games. He also recorded 11 QB hits and seven tackles for loss. During that seven-game span, Houston was a true playmaker who teamed up with teammate EDGE Aidan Hutchinson to form a potent pass-rushing tandem. In their first year as professionals, the 2022 draft selections together produced an NFL record of 17.5 sacks for rookie teammates. It should come as no surprise that Houston intended to duplicate that level of output in 2023. “I wanted to be a playwright for the entire year. Although it was disappointing, injuries and other things happen, the second-year professional said. So everything is well. I’ve returned. I’ve climbed back up and am now prepared to
Houston’s status for Sunday’s Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers divisional round playoff game is currently categorized as uncertain. Ford Field will open for play at 3 p.m. He was compelled to step aside and see the historic wild-card playoff victory of the Lions against the Los Angeles Rams last week as a fan. Having been activated, he is eager to return to the field and assist Detroit in reaching its first conference championship game in thirty-two years, all in front of its fervent supporters. “The crowd (against the Rams) was raucous.” It was absurd,” remarked Houston. “I had a strong sense of being the fan. I mean, I kind of belonged to “y’all.” It was simply electrifying, though. The energy was incredibly intense, and I
