5 Detroit Lions players who are entering a make-or-break season in 2024

3. EDGE James Houston

After he was a pass-rushing revelation to end his rookie season (eight sacks in seven games), a fractured ankle cost Houston most of last season. So he gets a mulligan for that injury, but this preseason and training camp was still pretty important for him.

A knee injury in the preseason opener led to him missing the second preseason game, and in between the effort to have him be more than an edge rusher was ended (maybe only temporarily).

A sack and an overall good showing in the preseason finale was enough to win Houston a spot on the 53-man roster, which still feels flimsy as Dan Campbell had mentioned a "body of work" that hasn't really existed since 2023 training camp.

The Lions need someone to get afte the quarterback opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Houston seems to be as good a candidate as anyone else, but he's got to get it done.

2. EDGE Marcus Davenport

Speaking of someone to step up opposite Hutchinson, the Lions took a free agency flier on Davenport with the idea he could possibly be that guy.

Last year at this time the division rival Minnesota Vikings surely had the same hope for the former first-round pick, opposite Danielle Hunter. They were left sorely disappointed, as Davenport missed all but four games due to an ankle injury.

Since the best season of his career, nine sacks for the Saints in 2021, Davenport has 2.5 sacks over the last two seasons (19 games). Injuries have been the primary tale of his career, with multiple surgeries after that 2021 season and at least three missed games every season but one in his career.

Davenport has signed a "prove-it" deal in back-to-back offseasons. If he doesn't perform far better this year with the Lions than he did last year with the Vikings, another chance (on another team) may be hard to come by in 2025.