He's not ready yet, and might not be this season. "He’s still a ways out," Dan Campbell said Friday. But James Houston is "doing everything I can to get back on the field" and spark the Lions in the playoffs.
"It's all up to the team. If that’s what they allow, I’ll come in and be able to help. That’s my goal," Houston said Friday. "I want to be part of the 2023 Detroit Lions."
Houston, the dynamic pass rusher who had eight sacks in seven games as a rookie, has been sidelined since fracturing his ankle in Week 2. He intended to return before the start of the playoffs, but that won't happen with the Lions having ruled him out for Sunday's season finale against the Vikings. He did return to practice last week, an important step in getting back in the lineup. Next is proving that he's ready to make a difference in games.
"Coming off the injury he came off of, it’s going to take a minute to feel good about it," Campbell said. "And then, 'OK, now that I feel good about it, how do I win and produce with it?’ It’s one thing to just go out there and run around. But if you can’t produce, that doesn’t help him or us."
Houston echoed Campbell and said he's still "trying to knock the rust off and just get everything more fluid." With so much at stake starting next week, the Lions can't afford to thrust him into live action if he's not fully prepared for it. Houston said he's "making sure that everything is tuned up so that when I get out there, I’m not thinking too much and I’m not worried about anything. I’m just playing."
Despite his rehab taking longer than he would have liked, Houston remains in good spirits. He smiled at the thought of making his return in the playoffs in front of a raucous crowd at Ford Field, "sitting out the whole season and watching those guys and you finally get your chance to be a part of history."
"And I love games like that," Houston said. "I feel like I shine in big games like that, so I’m looking forward to it, for sure."
The Lions could certainly use him. They've been searching all season for someone to get after the quarterback opposite Aidan Hutchinson. When Houston and Hutchinson were both in the lineup last season, they combined for 12 sacks and 39 quarterback pressures over the Lions' final seven games -- which, by no coincidence, came within the club's 8-2 finish.
"I’ve been seeing all the stuff everybody’s been saying -- we’ve been missing a pass rush and stuff," Houston said. "I mean, those guys are doing a great job out there. I’m not sure if everyone really knows, I know the stats may not say everything, but those guys have been playing a hell of a season. Whenever I’m on the field, I look at it as just a plus. It’s just something extra, you know? And that’s all I really want to bring. I just want to be something extra to the puzzle. I’m not trying to make or break the team or be the final piece to anything. I just want to help."
Again, it's up to the coaches as to if or when that may happen this season. Campbell acknowledged that it would be "a lot to ask" for Houston's first game in four months to be a playoff game. Even Houston said last month, "the guys that have been there have been telling me, playoff games are a whole different animal. So you gotta be able to elevate your game."
"Not that it can’t happen," said Campbell, "because I know this, he's looked a lot better this week than last week. Whenever you’re coming off an injury, any player, it’s just a matter of how fast you can get your confidence back and your own abilities, your body."
The next hurdle for Houston is to practice in full capacity. He's been a limited participant since returning. He said his body feels good and that he's gained a psychological boost from returning to the grind with his teammates. He's also still fighting off frustration "every day."
"Some things are not where I want them to be, and others are further along than I would have expected," Houston said. "It’s all part of the process. You gotta trust the guys that got your back and have been with me every step of the way and are telling me, 'It’s OK, this is a part of it and you’ll be fine.' So just trusting those guys, and understanding I have a long career. This year is not the end-all, be-all, but I do want to come back this year and everybody on the team I feel like knows that and understands that. So I’m gonna work my ass off to get on the field, even if it’s for one game, I don’t care. That was my plan."
When Houston got on the field last year, he introduced Detroit to Da Problem. Asked which version of him we might see this year, Houston said, "Definitely a similar version."
"Maybe not eight sacks in seven games -- I don’t got that many games," he said with a laugh. "But I’m definitely ready for the opportunity. I feel like I’m a dynamic player. When I’m out on the field, I make plays. That’s just what I’ve been doing throughout my career, so I feel like I will have a pretty big impact."