Houston's electric rookie season feels like a distant memory and the Lions remain undecided about how his one-dimensional skill fits into the 53-man roster they must establish by Tuesday afternoon.
@JustinRogers … curious about the last comment that DC doesn’t want to let Fox have a go at kickoffs. As good of a punter as he is, surely he could afford a little time to work on kickoffs. With the number of times JB has had a bad kickoff result, what is the downside to letting Fox give it a go?
It just still doesn't make sense to me that Houston can't be the team's situational pass rusher. Ostensibly, we are going to be playing with a lot of leads. And the defense is so stout against the run, I imagine that opponents will also face a lot of 3d and longs.
Houston can do things athletically in the pass rush that Ukwu simply cannot do.
On the flip side, what is it that Ukwu can do that isn't already serviced by another guy in the D-Line. Paschal is stout against the run. Davenport is stout against the run. Levi is stout against the run. Wingo is stout against the run. The latter two can play both inside and outside. And all of those guys should rep over Ukwu.
I'm also fairly confident Ukwu would clear waivers since all 32 teams passed on him literally 7 separate times a mere 4 months ago in the Draft.
But who amongst that group can consistently win a 1 on 1 in 3rd and long??? In every game where Houston has had the opportunity to simply play edge (i.e. more than 10 pass rushes in a game), he has registered either a sack or multiple QB pressures. Keep it simple, let this man eat. The lone exception is the NFC championship game, when he was fresh off a broken ankle and going up against Trent F*cking Williams.
To me this is an easy decision. Keep Houston, and let my man eat. If they're not sold on him, they can move him at the trade deadline.
I think Houston has lost that elite pass rush bend since his ankle surgery and he is a one trick pony like you said. Ukwu has more upside to me. Maybe we can trade Houston for an X WR that another team was going to cut anyways.
Houston’s flashes have been incredible, but Ukwu appears to be bigger, stronger, and consistently more disruptive. If he is clear of the injury bugs he fought at James Madison he might beat him out.
The would be dumb move on the part of the Lions to cut Houston. Pass-rushing is a premier position in the NFL something that the Lions struggle with last season. Being the master of this one thing is more valuable than versatility and mediocre ability of other skills. If Dan Campbell thinks an unproven Ukwu, Levi , Paschal , Barns and Wingo will provide a lot of sack production then he is delusional. I see this team regressing back to SOL for many reasons .
Lumping Levi in with a comment about edge rush seems odd. Ukwu looks like a better option than Houston currently. I think we romanticize about his end of 22.
He's still producing. He just registered a sack in the preseason finale, along with a couple tackles.
He's also playing with a bum knee that held him out of half of training camp.
Houston is a flat out better pass rusher than Ukwu. His arms are longer, his get-off is more explosive, he has better dip and bend, and most importantly: he proved he can win again first-string Tackles.
Ukwu is producing against 2s and 3s, but he's unproven. His first step is mediocre. His length is average. And he doesn't do anything that isn't already being done by a guy higher on the depth chart. Waive him, put him on the Practice Squad and call him up when we need reinforcements later in the year.
Nice article. Houston draws a parallel to Julian Okwara but the roster is so much better. Somehow they might keep both Houston and Ikwu . Or make a hard choice and cut/trade one for a low pick.I wasn’t thrilled when I read about Craig Reynold’s 70 yard run came when James Houston was blocked- but it sure is intriguing, one way or the other. Thanks. Look for to your 53 man roster. Sleep well!
@JustinRogers … curious about the last comment that DC doesn’t want to let Fox have a go at kickoffs. As good of a punter as he is, surely he could afford a little time to work on kickoffs. With the number of times JB has had a bad kickoff result, what is the downside to letting Fox give it a go?
It just still doesn't make sense to me that Houston can't be the team's situational pass rusher. Ostensibly, we are going to be playing with a lot of leads. And the defense is so stout against the run, I imagine that opponents will also face a lot of 3d and longs.
Houston can do things athletically in the pass rush that Ukwu simply cannot do.
On the flip side, what is it that Ukwu can do that isn't already serviced by another guy in the D-Line. Paschal is stout against the run. Davenport is stout against the run. Levi is stout against the run. Wingo is stout against the run. The latter two can play both inside and outside. And all of those guys should rep over Ukwu.
I'm also fairly confident Ukwu would clear waivers since all 32 teams passed on him literally 7 separate times a mere 4 months ago in the Draft.
But who amongst that group can consistently win a 1 on 1 in 3rd and long??? In every game where Houston has had the opportunity to simply play edge (i.e. more than 10 pass rushes in a game), he has registered either a sack or multiple QB pressures. Keep it simple, let this man eat. The lone exception is the NFC championship game, when he was fresh off a broken ankle and going up against Trent F*cking Williams.
To me this is an easy decision. Keep Houston, and let my man eat. If they're not sold on him, they can move him at the trade deadline.
just wanted to add he played in the two opening games in 2022 and did not register a statistic either
Good teams should have these types of tough decisions.
If Brad can get some trade value out of Houston I think he's gone
I think Houston has lost that elite pass rush bend since his ankle surgery and he is a one trick pony like you said. Ukwu has more upside to me. Maybe we can trade Houston for an X WR that another team was going to cut anyways.
Houston’s flashes have been incredible, but Ukwu appears to be bigger, stronger, and consistently more disruptive. If he is clear of the injury bugs he fought at James Madison he might beat him out.
The would be dumb move on the part of the Lions to cut Houston. Pass-rushing is a premier position in the NFL something that the Lions struggle with last season. Being the master of this one thing is more valuable than versatility and mediocre ability of other skills. If Dan Campbell thinks an unproven Ukwu, Levi , Paschal , Barns and Wingo will provide a lot of sack production then he is delusional. I see this team regressing back to SOL for many reasons .
You forgot about Davenport
Lumping Levi in with a comment about edge rush seems odd. Ukwu looks like a better option than Houston currently. I think we romanticize about his end of 22.
He's still producing. He just registered a sack in the preseason finale, along with a couple tackles.
He's also playing with a bum knee that held him out of half of training camp.
Houston is a flat out better pass rusher than Ukwu. His arms are longer, his get-off is more explosive, he has better dip and bend, and most importantly: he proved he can win again first-string Tackles.
Ukwu is producing against 2s and 3s, but he's unproven. His first step is mediocre. His length is average. And he doesn't do anything that isn't already being done by a guy higher on the depth chart. Waive him, put him on the Practice Squad and call him up when we need reinforcements later in the year.
Iffy's hurt again? I, for one, am shocked.
Nice article. Houston draws a parallel to Julian Okwara but the roster is so much better. Somehow they might keep both Houston and Ikwu . Or make a hard choice and cut/trade one for a low pick.I wasn’t thrilled when I read about Craig Reynold’s 70 yard run came when James Houston was blocked- but it sure is intriguing, one way or the other. Thanks. Look for to your 53 man roster. Sleep well!