It’s been almost a full month since Detroit Lions edge rusher James Houston returned to practice after fracturing his ankle in the team’s Week 2 contest. Despite practicing for the first time on December 28 and being activated to the 53-man roster last week, Houston has yet to make a game appearance since his injury.
However, that could be coming very, very soon.
“I think he’s very close,” Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said on Thursday, ahead of the team’s NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Lions have been taking Houston along slowly for a couple reasons. For one, they need to make sure that he’s back in football form and is a clear improvement from their other personnel options. But they are also being precautious with his injury, as a player that relies so much on bend needs to have a structurally sound ankle.
“We want to protect that player from themselves for the most part,” Glenn explained. “Listen, I do not take injuries lightly, especially making sure we listen to the medical department to make sure we bring that player along exactly how he needs to come along. So, he’s doing a really good job in practice. You can tell he’s getting back to form to where he was. And hopefully, we’ll get a chance to put that player on the field, so he can make some plays for us.”
When Houston played for the Lions toward the end of last season, that’s exactly what he did: make plays. Despite being in a rotational role for just a seven-game span, Houston finished the 2022 season second on the team with 8.0 sacks. He also forced and recovered a fumble.
This year, the Lions have struggled to find a pass rushing threat opposite Aidan Hutchinson. While Hutchinson finished the regular season with 11.5 sacks, no other edge defender had more than 2.0.
But this week against the 49ers provides a challenge on a few levels. For one, San Francisco has one of the best left tackles in football in Trent Williams. Additionally, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy gets the ball out fairly quickly, meaning the Lions’ recent trend of blitzing defensive backs may not work. That puts more pressure on the front four to get to Purdy quickly and disrupt his passing lanes.
“You really don’t get to him a lot because of the timing of the offense and him getting the ball out,” Glenn said. “So, the one thing I preach to the d-line, ‘Man, you’ve got to get your hands up,’ because he’s a smaller-statured player. And he does a really good job of knowing exactly where he’s going to go with the ball.
“So, the rush plan, for the most part, four-man rush, you’ve got to win. They have to. Because sometimes you could send six and you would never get there and the ball’s going to get out. You just put your guys in man coverage and the ball’s going to get out. So, we have to do a really good job of really changing it up.”
Houston would give the Lions some fresh legs and someone the 49ers would have to account for. Even better for Detroit, Glenn believes Houston has expanded his game beyond the outside speed moves that defined his game last season.
“This whole offseason, he’s learned different moves other than just being able to just bend around the corner on guys,” Glenn said. “So, I think we’re all looking forward to seeing the different techniques he has as far as being a pass rusher.”
Will this be the week he gets to unleash some of those new moves? Houston has been a full practice participant on the injury report for over two full weeks now. And with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, it may be finally time to see what Houston can do.
Detroit’s dining scene just got even more flavorful with the opening of Sunda New Asian, bringing modern Southeast Asian cuisine to the city.
Restaurant owner Billy Dec joins the show to share what guests can expect from the new hotspot, from bold dishes and incredible cocktails to an energetic atmosphere.
Watch the video above to see what’s cooking up at Sunda New Asian.
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Detroit Lions podcast includes Purple Insider Matthew Coller to talk about NFC North offseason moves.
Nolan and Richard are joined by Purple Insider Matthew Coller to talk about NFC North offseason moves.
By this point in the offseason, it’s well documented who the Detroit Lions have added, as well as who they’ve lost.
Former Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays was the prize of free agency. He’ll replace Graham Glasgow in the middle of Detroit’s offensive line. Clemson’s Blake Miller, selected 17th overall in April’s draft, is poised to quickly take over at the tackle spot opposite Penei Sewell, stepping in for Taylor Decker. The pass rush was overhauled across from Aidan Hutchinson, with Ahmed Hassanein and Tyler Lacy being the only other edge defenders still on the roster from last season.
Today, we’ll try to take our analysis a step further, identifying a few patterns within Detroit’s offseason approach and exploring what those acquisitions, retentions and departures mean for a Lions team looking to bounce back and reemerge as a title contender in 2026.
Detroit’s offense had its own share of issues throughout 2025. But what the defense produced down the stretch with the season on the line failed to meet reasonable expectations. Opponents averaged 28.1 points and 382.1 yards per game from Weeks 12-18, a stretch that resulted in four losses. Pinning all of Detroit’s defensive woes on one factor would be foolish (and you can’t ignore the role injuries played), but an inconsistent, at best, pass rush certainly didn’t help. The Lions owned the third-slowest time to pressure (2.86 seconds) in the NFL last season, according to Next Gen Stats.
Aside from the retooling opposite Hutchinson, the Lions also seemingly put an emphasis on acquiring interior defensive linemen who can get after the passer. Levi Onwuzurike is back after his contract tolled last season — Josh Paschal, a run-defending lineman who also had his contract tolled but was released in March, wasn’t afforded the same opportunity — and the Lions spent a couple of late-round draft picks on Texas Tech’s Skyler Gill-Howard and Tennessee’s Tyre West. Both players were drafted because of the flashes they’ve shown as pass rushers, particularly Gill-Howard, whose win rate in 2025 (14.4%) ranked 10th out of the 512 FBS interior defenders who rushed the passer on at least 100 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Copying the Super Bowl champions isn’t always wise — every team’s personnel has its own set of skills — but it’s striking how much Detroit’s defense differed from that of the Seattle Seahawks, who rode their defense on the way to winning the franchise’s second title. The Lions led the league in use of base defense (three linebackers) last season, deploying those packages for 657 plays, according to Next Gen Stats. The Seahawks were last, with 66 plays. It was the opposite for use of nickel defense (five defensive backs), with the Seahawks leading the league (815) and the Lions at 32nd (355). Of course, Seattle is unique, given head coach Mike Macdonald’s defensive system and nickelback Nick Emmanwori’s immediate impact as a rookie.
The Lions won’t overhaul their entire scheme in one offseason, but it’s difficult to see their moves in totality and not come away thinking they could lean more on nickel packages in 2026. Alex Anzalone, one of the league’s better linebackers against the pass, allowed the Lions to play base defense as much as they did, as he was comfortable in coverage. He’s now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions added a number of viable options to play nickelback next season, including veterans Christian Izien Jr. and Roger McCreary, as well as fifth-round rookie Keith Abney II (Arizona State).
Assuming the starting five, from left to right, winds up being Sewell, Christian Mahogany, Mays, Tate Ratledge and Miller, Detroit’s offensive line will have an average age of 25.2 next season. That’s down from 2025 (27.8) and 2024 (29.8). In no way does the influx of youth indicate surefire success, but the Lions would certainly be set up for sustained success if each of the five projected starters reach their ceilings. The offensive line could be even younger if 2025 fifth-rounder Miles Frazier, who is 11 months younger than Mahogany, wins the starting job at left guard. Juice Scruggs, another contender at left guard, is nine months older than Mahogany. Ben Bartch, 27, is the veteran option.
Whether Mays continues ascending at center will be key to Detroit’s success in 2026. He’s only started 20 games at the position over his four seasons in the NFL, and all of those starts have come within the last two years. He showed week-to-week growth in his 12 starts in 2025, enough for the Lions to commit $25 million ($14 million guaranteed) to him over the next three years. Mays surrendered 13 pressures last season and didn’t allow sack, according to PFF.
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@rich_silva18
How the PWHL unveiled Detroit’s team amid much fanfare
Chris Ilitch, Mary Sheffield, Jayna Hefford and Amy Scheer talk about the PWHL Detroit team on May 6, 2026.
Josh Sciba comes to the Detroit Professional Women’s Hockey League team with a tremendous recent accolade.
Named to coach the ninth franchise in the PWHL’s history on Thursday, May 28, Sciba joins the team fresh off having served as an assistant coach with the women’s team that won the gold medal at the 2026 Milano Olympics.
“I’m incredibly honored and excited for the opportunity to become the coach of PWHL Detroit and beyond grateful for the trust placed in me to help lead the organization from the beginning,” Sciba said in a statement. “This is home and especially meaningful for me and my entire family, knowing Detroit’s rich hockey history and identity firsthand and how much the women’s hockey community has been yearning for this moment.”
The Detroit PWHL team has taken shape over the past month: From being introduced on May 6 in a gala event at Little Caesars Arena (where the team will play starting late November/early December 2026) to naming Manon Rheaume general manager on May 15.
“Josh is a highly respected coach with a knowledge of the game and experience at all levels of women’s hockey that set him apart, and his passion for teaching and individual character are qualities I value in a leader,” Rhéaume said in a release “Hockeytown is in his blood, and this is an opportunity I know he is eager to embrace with an understanding of what it means to represent this city and be part of its legacy.”
Next on the agenda is shaping the roster itself, which will happen at the June 17 expansion draft at Detroit’s Fox Theatre.
Sciba, 41 and a native of Westland, has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the PWHL’s New York Sirens and brings more than 15 years of coaching experience to the role.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
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