DETROIT – The Detroit Lions have activated a star edge rusher from injured reserve and waived a former third-round pick ahead of their second-round playoff game against the Buccaneers.
James Houston was one of the primary reasons the Lions turned their season around in 2022, racking up eight sacks in seven games. The Lions went 5-2 in that stretch and nearly snuck into the playoffs.
Houston, a sixth-round pick in 2022, was hoping to translate that production over the course of a full season, but he injured his ankle in the opener against Kansas City.
Four months and one day later, he’s back on the roster and ready to rush the quarterback opposite Aidan Hutchinson in a divisional playoff game.
To make room for Houston on the roster, the Lions waived linebacker Julian Okwara, who was selected by Detroit in the third round of the 2020 draft but couldn’t quite carve out a significant role. In 38 career games, he’s made 54 tackles and nine sacks.
Houston helped completely transform the Lions’ defense in the second half last season. If he can provide anything close to that spark now, the entire defense will benefit. That would make the Lions an even more dangerous team as the field of Super Bowl contenders narrows.
