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Detroit Lions linebacker James Houston is available for the first time since Week 2, as the second-year pro is officially active against the 49ers.
After a stellar rookie campaign that saw the 2022 sixth-round draft pick record eight sacks in seven games, Houston fractured his ankle in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks.
Detroit's pass-rush has benefitted from additional blitzing from the safety position and Aidan Hutchinson's steadiness throughout the playoffs.
The addition of Houston gives Aaron Glenn more options to battle against 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy.
"Here's what you see with this player (Purdy) a lot, you really don't get to him a lot, because of the timing of the offense and he'll get the ball now," Glenn explained this week. "So, the one thing I preached to do that is man, you gotta get your hands up, because he's a smaller stature player, all right, and he does a really good job of knowing exactly where he's gonna 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 will never get there and the ball's gonna get out. Just put your guys in man coverage and the ball's gonna get out. So, we have to do a really good job of really changing it up. Sometimes we'll send that. Sometimes we're set four right and have max droppers in the back-end."
Here is an updated list of the Lions' inactives for their NFC Championship contest against the 49ers:
- CB Steven Gilmore
- DL Charles Harris
- QB Hendon Hooker (emergency QB)
- G Jonah Jackson
- DL Brodric Martin
- WR Kalif Raymond
- S Tracy Walker
More must-reads:
- Former top-10 pick expected to be released by Packers
- Packers releasing three-time Super Bowl champion
- The 'Season TD pass leaders by NFL team' quiz
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Texans releasing former Pro Bowl OL
Amid a full-scale offensive line makeover, the Texans are set to move on from a player they took a flier on this offseason. They are releasing Trent Brown, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The 10-year veteran spent the summer on Houston’s active/PUP list, having suffered a torn patellar tendon during what amounted to a brief cameo in Cincinnati. The Texans needed to either activate Brown or send him to the reserve/PUP list. Option C, however, will be used. This will be the first time a team has released Brown. This release comes as Brown was moving toward a recovery from knee surgery, according to Wilson. But he will head back to free agency instead. The 380-plus-pound blocker having suffered a major knee injury during an age-31 season invited questions about his future, but a reunion with Nick Caserio — a Patriots exec when the team traded for Brown in 2018 — provided a lifeline. The Texans gave Brown a one-year, $2.35M deal with $550K guaranteed. Houston will eat only the $550K in dead money. Brown being nearly recovered is certainly notable, as it could lead to another chance given his history as a starter. Brown has made 96 starts, including three to open last season with the Bengals. Brown had spent the previous three years back in New England, after Las Vegas conducted an O-line makeover in 2021 that involved shedding a big-ticket Brown contract. Brown did not live up to the Raiders deal but became a regular again with the Patriots, starting at both LT and RT during his second stint. Brown has been injury-prone throughout his career, and although the former 49ers seventh-round pick operated as the Pats’ full-time LT during their 2018 Super Bowl-winning season, he has played more than 11 games just once since. The Texans also added two more tackles — Cam Robinson, Aireontae Ersery — this offseason. Robinson has emerged as a trade candidate. With Brown out of the picture, Ersery is moving toward the starting LT job (opposite the versatile Tytus Howard) with 2024 second-rounder Blake Fisher then set to be a swing tackle.
Dolphins agree to deal with one-time Super Bowl champ
Frequent communication between Rasul Douglas and the Miami Dolphins has produced a deal. The veteran cornerback is headed to Miami on a one-year contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. This pact is worth $3M, Rapoport adds. A notable role in the secondary should await Douglas upon arrival, despite the timing of this agreement. Cornerback has been an area of need all offseason, and the Dolphins somewhat surprisingly cut Mike Hilton on Monday. Hilton expected to wind up in Miami this offseason, but after arriving, he did not spend much time practicing with the starting defense. His release came about after Kendall Fuller was cut in the spring, a move that was eventually followed by the Jalen Ramsey trade. Kader Kohou and Artie Burns have since suffered season-ending injuries, leading to increased concern about the secondary for 2025. Douglas will aim to provide Miami with a veteran starting presence over the coming campaign. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has been on the Dolphins’ radar for much of the offseason, so this agreement comes as little surprise. Douglas was dealt from the Packers to the Bills midway through the 2023 campaign, and he handled starting duties with Buffalo. No new Bills accord was worked out, however, and Douglas made it known earlier this offseason that he did not foresee a return to Green Bay. Those factors pointed further to a Miami accord being worked out at some point, and with training camp and the preseason now finished, that has proven to be the case. Douglas has 80 starts and 120 appearances to his name, and he totaled 14 interceptions from 2021 to 2023. He was held without a pick last season, but the Dolphins would welcome a return to form from the former third-rounder. A strong campaign would help Miami’s defense for 2025 while also preventing a free agent from staying deep into August next offseason.
Key Darian Kinnard Trait Drew Packers to Trade for Super Bowl Winner
Darien Kinnard has won a Super Bowl each of the past three seasons, but that isn’t the only reason the Packers acquired the veteran offensive lineman in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this past weekend. While general manager Brian Gutekunst, head coach Matt LaFleur, and the Packers obviously would love to see Kinnard’s streak continue with the Lombardi Trophy returning to Green Bay, it was a key trait that sparked the trade. Kinnard’s versatility was a major drawing card for Green Bay, according to Packers reporter Mike Spofford. “Typical of offensive line prospects who interest the Packers,” Spofford writes, for the team’s official website. “Kinnard can play multiple positions. In the recently completed preseason with the Eagles, he played both right guard and right tackle, with more snaps coming at guard. “He also took some snaps at left guard in practice, according to media reports out of Philadelphia.” Kinnard’s versatility gives the Packers the chance to add quality depth across multiple positions, including as an insurance policy if Rasheed Walker or Jordan Morgan fail to perform at a high level at right tackle in the weeks ahead. The 25-year-old played 68 snas at right tackle last season and only allowed one sack, so perhaps the Packers believe he’s capable of providing some stability, when needed, during the upcoming season and beyond.
Jets center sends warning to NFL about Justin Fields ahead of 2025 season
Before quarterback Justin Fields, center Josh Myers and wide receiver Garrett Wilson began sharing the New York Jets' locker room this year, they were previously teammates at Ohio State. Myers is among those associated with the Jets who believe Fields will silence doubters when the games begin to matter next month. "I think there's definitely a chip on his shoulder," Myers recently said about Fields, as shared by Rich Cimini of ESPN. "Every time we've had a day that wasn't to our standard, he called out the whole offense, including himself. When we have those days, he lets everyone know about it." Two teams have given up on Fields since the Chicago Bears made him the 11th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. He went 10-28 as a starter during his Bears tenure before the club decided to replace him with Caleb Williams via the first overall selection of the 2024 draft. Fields then lost a competition for the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting job to Russell Wilson last summer, but Fields entered the 2024 season as Pittsburgh's QB1 after Wilson went down with a calf problem. Fields guided Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record but nevertheless was benched in favor of Wilson from Week 7 through the Steelers' wild-card playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It now seems that Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin viewed future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers as an upgrade at the position before Fields reached free agency this past March. Fields signed a two-year contract to join the Jets, but the club can escape that deal as soon as next offseason. The fact that he reportedly "had an uneven training camp" has some Gang Green supporters fearing that he hasn't improved as a passer after he completed 60.3% of his pass attempts while with the Bears. "He can be an accurate passer when his feet are set and his weight is balanced," an unnamed scout said about Fields while speaking with Cimini. "When he doesn't have that, he's all over the place." Perhaps the alleged "chip on his shoulder" will help Fields enjoy a positive revenge-game performance when the Jets open the upcoming season with a home game against none other than the Steelers on Sept. 7.
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