The Detroit Lions have been seeking consistent production from pass-rusher James Houston.
Aaron Glenn’s defense got a boost of production from the third-year defensive end, in Sunday’s come-from-behind victory against the Texans at NRG Stadium.
Houston, who has endured a tumultuous year-and-a-half since a breakout rookie year, recorded his first sack since his rookie season. He also demonstrated the ability to get around the edge on different rushes that made him so successful during the final stretch of the 2022 season.
As a result, coach Dan Campbell is hoping that the young defender can gain confidence from his performance, heading into the season’s final eight games.
“I think he can gain a lot. It looked different, there was a number of reps that looked different. It looked like he’s beginning to get some of his confidence back,” Campbell explained. “Even in the run game, was a little bit better, which is encouraging because he’s got to be able to help us there in rotation.”
With multiple starters at his position out for the year, Houston has gone from a healthy scratch to a pivotal member of the defensive line rotation. Now, the Lions are hoping to get more from him as both a pass-rusher and a run defender, to allow them to effectively manage their defensive line rotation.
Houston has seven pressures combined over the last two games, after having just five total prior to this stretch. Now, the Lions are hoping he can continue providing consistency.
“We can’t, I mean, we can, but we would rather not just sap (Josh) Paschal and those ends, Za’Darius (Smith) now and Levi (Onwuzurike), you want them to have enough to where they have plenty in reserves for when we need them,” Campbell said. “So, we need him. He had a couple of really good rushes. He had one where his get-off was like, man. That’s what we need out of him all the time, he’s got that ability.”
