Lions make inevitable move to move on from edge rusher James Houston

James Houston had a breakout game on Thanksgiving Day two years ago, with two sacks of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Now, two days before Thanksgiving this year, his time with the Detroit Lions.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler first reported the Lions are releasing Houston, and the team has subsequently announced they are waiving him.

On Monday, Houston dropped a "cryptic" tweet that foreshadowed Tuesday's move.

Launched by that Thanksgiving performance, Houston had eight sacks over seven games to end his rookie season in 2022. An ankle injury cost him most of last season, so he was due that injury-forced mulligan heading into this year.

But the writing has been all the wall for Houston going back to the preseason. The Lions stopped trying to make him into a SAM linebacker, narrowing his duties to strictly rushing the passer. It seems like head coach Dan Campbell lost a "fight" (using that term very loosely) with general manager Brad Holmes about keeping Houston on the 53-man roster, based on things Campbell subsequently said-or did not say.

Houston was a healthy scratch three times in the first five games this season, playing three defensive snaps in one of the two games he played and 14 rough snaps in the other.

Houston has been in uniform for the Lions' last six games, and he had a sack against the Houston Texans in Week 10 (his only of the season). He played just four defensive snaps against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12, which know stands as the final writing on the wall.

James Houston is not coming back on the Lions' practice squad

Waiving Houston theoretically keeps the door open for the Lions to bring him back on the practice squad another team doesn't claim him. During his press conference on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the move was announced, Campbell effectively shut the door on that possibility; as expected based on the aforementioned things the coach said before.

Houston will likely be claimed by another team, and finish the season there. He needed a change of scenery, arguably going back to August when he seemed to barely make the Lions' initial 53-man roster, and now he'll get it.