Dan Campbell invites questions about why James Houston made the 53-man roster

After he had a sack and generally looked good in the preseason finale, Lions head coach Dan Campbell noted a "hard decision" that was coming regarding James Houston as the roster was cut to 53 players.

Campbell mentioned Houston's "body of work" as a third-year player, which is something that simply hasn't existed due to an ankle injury that cost him most of last season and a knee injury that cost him time in camp this year.

So Houston made the Lions' initial 53-man roster, over fellow edge rushers (and more consistent preseason standouts) Isaac Ukwu and Mitchell Agude. It's not a reach to say Houston didn't truly win the spot, with apparent deference to having more of a "body of work" than the other two guys he was competing with.

It was also clear that Houston was ripe to be replaced on the 53-man roster if he didn't perform well early in the season. Then he was a healthy scratch in Week 1.

Dan Campbell invites questions about why James Houston made the 53-man roster

Campbell has consistently professed a "the more you can do" aspect for players who are on the fringes of the roster. Houston has been a notable exception, as he literally had his role scaled back during the preseason.

On Wednesday, Campbell was asked about Houston being inactive in Week 1 and what he needs to show to be active in Week 2.

"So much of it is, you know, it could be him or it's the defensive back. So what's going to bring more to you? And what plays into that is, you know, special teams is a big one. What about injury other areas. So maybe you need the insurance. Some of it is, what production is that going to bring for...How many snaps is he going to get? So I can't answer that clearly, you know, but he's another guy. I mean, he's here, he's working. We'd love to get him up if the possibility presents itself or the opportunity presents itself, and so we'll just take it as it comes."

So it seems like a coin-flip Houston will be active on Sunday against the Buccaneers, at best. Terms like "he's another guy" and "he's here, he's working" aren't especially complementary, and it's fair to say they're only said when there's nothing else good to say (see what Campbell said about Denzel Mims last year, as noted by Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports).

So a question that has lingered since the Lions announced roster cuts gets a notable bump this week.

Why did James Houston make the 53-man roster?

Houston was deemed unable to contribute in Week 1, and it's starting along the same line heading into Week 2. Keeping him on the 53-man roster is making less and less sense. If he's inactive again on Sunday, someone will surely ask Campbell a harsher question about the reasoning behind that decision.