James Houston, a pass rush specialist for the Detroit Lions, may not be able to play again until the postseason.
James Houston, an edge defender for the Detroit Lions, went back to practice last week. However, coach Dan Campbell has stated that the pass rusher is not anticipated to participate in the regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.
On Tuesday morning, Campbell stated on 97.1 The Ticket, “I don’t see Houston (playing) right now.”
Houston has been out of action since breaking his ankle during the team’s Week 2 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. Prior to Detroit’s game against the Cowboys last Saturday, the Lions completed one session before starting his evaluation clock on Thursday. The Lions will then have two weeks to determine whether to activate him from injured reserve or not.
Houston unexpectedly emerged in the latter few months of the previous year, giving Detroit’s pass rush a significant lift. After only seven games, he had 8.0 sacks.
A little disappointing, really, that Houston won’t be prepared for the season finale. Houston stated last week that as a young player, more playing time would be extremely beneficial to him.
“My experience has always been a little bit lacking,” Houston said. “I’m not a big football player. I played for a year and a half in high school even. I didn’t play much in college. I even participated in ten games in the league. It’s basically simply experience—observing various formations, feeling various textures, and learning how to fit into various defences and make plays in various defences. Simply put, different things of such nature.
Nevertheless, it seems Houston could be headed back for the Wild Card round home playoff game against the Lions. Though he will undoubtedly need to shake off some rust quickly, Detroit’s defence may still be able to capitalise on his special pass-rushing ability.
