Lions waive edge James Houston

The Detroit Lions have parted with young edge rusher James Houston.

While the timing is a bit of a surprise, the move itself is not.

Houston, 26, was Detroit's sixth-round pick out of Jackson State in 2022 and burst onto the scene as a rookie. In just 140 snaps on defense, Houston racked up 17 pressures and eight sacks, shining as a possible late-round steal with a bright future for the Lions.

However, the past two seasons haven't been the same. He missed most of 2023 with a leg injury and hasn't been productive in brief stints this season.

Even with all of the injuries to the defensive line this season, the Lions never really thrust Houston into a big role. As a part-time player, he's managed 13 pressures but only one sack and has struggled for the most part.

He's missed three tackles this season, per Pro Football Focus, and only had two stops in the run game, contributing to poor all-around grades.

That has contributed to other surpassing him on the depth chart, including newcomers like Al-Quadin Muhammad, who was signed just last month and promoted to the active roster a few weeks ago.

Houston is still young and will now get a chance to latch on somewhere else, the the Lions clearly felt they'd seen enough and will use the open roster spot elsewhere.