Bizarre Lions roster move could come back to bite Detroit majorly

The Detroit Lions are dealing with some injuries to key positions, which makes their latest roster move a bit odd. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Lions released edge rusher James Houston. While he had a solid rookie season with eight sacks, he teetered in and out of the lineup. 

So the move isn’t surprising from that standpoint. Rather, the Lions need depth. Houston was a sixth-round pick so he wasn’t supposed to be a generational player to begin with. 

And while he hasn’t quite taken off since his rookie season, I don’t think releasing him at this point in the season makes much sense. 

Depth ahead of the playoffs going to be key for Detroit Lions playoff run

The most important thing for a team this late in the season is depth. Both having enough healthy, key players while also having reserves ready to step in. Detroit was dealt a devastating blow with Aidan Hutchinson out. While he could come back by the Super Bowl, it’s still not guaranteed he plays again this season. 

With Alex Anzalone going out in the dominant win over the Jaguars as well, the Lions aren’t necessarily in position to be cutting defensive players, specifically. Unless this move is to free up space for a free agent signee or to sign a player off the practice squad, this is a puzzling move. 

Despite having major injuries, the Lions have stayed afloat, tying the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the NFL and they’re the top team in the NFC. What’s worked to Detroit’s benefit is the next-man-up mentality, as cliche as it is. 

They’ve had several players simply fill in when they need and the team hasn’t skipped a beat. The Lions have won nine straight games after a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and have all but locked down the No. 1 seed in the NFC. 

But as the injuries pile up for the NFC leaders, cutting players in a positional need doesn’t quite make sense. Za’Darius Smith has been a welcomed addition to the Motor City in Hutchinson’s absence and Aaron Glenn has engineered a dominant defense as well. 

Something tells me the Lions won’t necessarily miss Houston, but if they have another injury to a pass rusher or if Houston takes off with another team, they might regret pulling the plug on him early.