With good intentions, the Lions have tried to make James Houston something he is not. They're letting him get back to what he is, which is something they need.
"Houston’s a dynamic rusher," defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said Wednesday, "so we want to keep him as a dynamic rusher."
Houston proved as much when he debuted on Thanksgiving two years ago and racked up eight sacks in his first seven NFL games. The Lions saw the speed off the edge and thought they could groom him into a SAM linebacker.
It didn't work last year before Houston suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2, and it wasn't working this year. The coverage responsibilities were too much. The pre-snap calculations seemed to slow him down. In trying to grow Houston's game, the Lions wound up shrinking it.
Florida once made the same mistake. The coaches tried to jam a square-peg pass-rusher into an off-ball linebacker hole, so Houston eventually transferred to Jackson State and ran wild as a defensive end. The Lions were committed to the experiment as recently as two weeks ago.
Asked about Houston, Dan Campbell said, "He knows he has to be able to handle the SAM linebacker position for us. ... We have to be able to trust that he’s going to do what he needs to do, and that whatever defense we call, he’s going to handle it mentally."
The experiment is over. Both parties should benefit. (Just as soon as Houston returns to practice; he was working on the side Wednesday as he recovers from an injury.)
"Listen, the one thing we know he has a talent at is rushing the quarterback and when you have a good player you try to figure out, ‘What else can they do?’ Because you want them on the field as much as possible," said Glenn. "So we tried him at different positions to see if he can bring value in those aspects, but sometimes you’ve got to sit back and go, ‘You know what, just do what you do best.’"
The Lions have a secondary suddenly long on talent. They have a strong corps of linebackers, including a fully capable SAM in Derrick Barnes. They were already elite last season against the run. If they can improve their pass rush, they can make significant gains on defense -- and ultimately as a team. Houston can be a true difference-maker across from Aidan Hutchinson.
"So we’re going to let him go play defensive end, we’re going to let him go get after the quarterback and let him use those moves that I don’t think a lot of people know that he has," said Glenn.
Defensive end is Houston's "true position," as Campbell put it Monday. His duties there are clear: "He’s setting the edge or he’s rushing the passer." In simplifying the game, the Lions hope Houston can get back to wrecking it.