Pro Football Focus Suggests Absurd Detroit Lions Trade
The Detroit Lions have begun making their final rounds of cuts as they look to establish their initial 53-man roster for the 2023 NFL regular season. According to Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus, the Lions could trade EDGE rusher, James Houston. Before we go any further, let me be clear that this suggestion is absurd, and it makes me wonder if Spielberger has paid attention at all to the Lions.
What did Spielberger say about James Houston?
Here is what Spielberger has to say about Houston being a trade candidate. Make sure to read the last paragraph for a good laugh.
While preseason football is not quite the real product, there are still many different takeaways to be had from the action leading up to the regular season. Participation data can serve as a key indicator of a player’s location on the depth chart, for example, which made Houston’s 27 snaps in the second half of preseason Week 2 quite notable. Detroit rested the lion’s share of its starters and top contributors, yet Houston handled a significant workload in the second half.
Houston was a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and recorded 17 quarterback pressures and eight sacks on just 92 pass-rush snaps last season, a truly remarkable rate of productivity. However, Detroit used its first- and second-round picks on edge defenders in last year’s draft and also has veterans — including Romeo Okwara, Charles Harris, John Cominsky — in the fold.
It appears Houston may be the odd man out in Detroit, but the Lions definitely shouldn’t release a player with three years of cheap control remaining who showed a knack for getting after the quarterback on limited snaps last season. Many teams would be happy to take a flier on a developmental pass-rush specialist coming off a season with an 88.2 pass-rush grade.
Potential landing spots: Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants
Wait, What?!?!
What in the hell is Brad Spielberger talking about? “It appears Houston may be the odd man out in Detroit…”??? How in the world can anyone pay even a little attention to the Lions and come to the conclusion that it appears as if Houston is the odd man out? I have read more Detroit Lions 53-man roster projections than anyone on the planet, and I have not seen a single one where Houston is the “odd man out”.
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- Absurd Trade Proposal: Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger suggests a questionable trade involving the Lions’ EDGE rusher, James Houston, raising eyebrows about the depth of his insight on the Lions’ roster.
- Houston’s Notable Impact: Despite being a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Houston displayed impressive productivity, boasting 17 quarterback pressures and eight sacks in the previous season. His performance contradicts Spielberger’s claims of him potentially being the “odd man out” in Detroit.
- Misguided PFF Insight: Brad Spielberger’s assertion regarding Houston’s place in the Lions’ plans has caused a stir. While trading Houston is theoretically possible, the consensus among many is that he holds a valuable and irreplaceable position within the team.
Bottom Line: Houston, We DON’T Have a Problem
I have always taken the Pro Football Focus player grades with a grain of salt, but this takes things to a new level. Folks, is it theoretically possible that James Houston will get traded? Sure. But, with that being said, is there any world where Houston “appears to be the odd man out”? Absolutely not.
