A boost has been given to the Lions’ edge rush ahead of their divisional round encounter. James Houston was taken off injured reserve on Thursday, the organization announced. Julian Okwara was also waived in line with that move.
Today marked the end of Houston’s 21-day activation window. Had he not been brought back onto the roster, he would have reverted to season-ending IR. Instead, he will be an option to play on Sunday against the Buccaneers. The 25-year-old has not played since Week 2 due to a broken ankle.
A sixth-round pick last year, Houston became a late-season surprise for the Lions by debuting on Thanksgiving and finishing the season with eight sacks. The Jackson State alum did not have a chance to build on that success this season, but like C.J. Gardner-Johnson, he will make a late-season return after a major injury.
The term of Detroit’s Okwara investments has fluctuated. In Bob Quinn’s last season as general manager, Julian was selected in the third round, with Romeo Okwara already on the squad. Although the younger Okwara sibling recorded five sacks in 2021, in the last two seasons, he has only managed four in total. This season, the Notre Dame graduate participated in nine games and started one as Romeo, who was essentially out for two seasons because of an Achilles tear, began to heal. Romeo participated in 16 games this season, earning two sacks while serving as a backup rusher.
Even though the Lions are playing in their first divisional round since 1991, Aidan Hutchinson has not had reliable support in the sack department this year. The NFL leader in quarterback pressures turned on his game in the latter half of the season, recording 11.5 sacks and adding two more against the Rams in the wild-card round. No other player on the Lions’ roster has more than five sacks. Additionally, the only non-Hutchinson Lion with more than three is DT Alim McNeill, who recently joined Houston after being reinstated off IR. Detroit appears to be addressing this in the offseason, but the group will benefit from Houston returning healthy for the 2024 season.
