Detroit Lions linebacker James Houston practices during OTAs at Detroit Lions headquarters in Allen Park Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cowboys sign veteran DE who was Deion Sanders' first-ever NFL draft pick

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Matt Galatzan | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 2:30 PM ET

Dallas Cowboys training camp is set to begin on Tuesday, but the team is not done making additions to the roster just yet.

Ahead of the team's first practice, Dallas announced it has signed veteran defensive end James Houston . In a corresponding move, Dallas also released defensive end Luiji Vilain.

Entering his fourth NFL season, Houston was a sixth-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2022 coming out of Jackson State, where he was coached by Deion Sanders. In his rookie season, he exploded out of the gates, finishing eight sacks, 12 total tackles, and 11 quarterback hits in seven games with two starts.

In 2023, Houston played in just two games due to injury and was placed on injured reserve in September.

Last season, Houston played 11 games with the Browns and the Lions, playing the majority of that time in Detroit with eight appearances. In those eight appearances, Houston had one sack, eight tackles, and two QB hits.

He was then waived by the Lions and picked up on waivers by the Browns.

Houston is an intriguing signing and a player who the fan base can get behind.

Not only is he the first-ever NFL player produced by Deion Sanders, but he made a career-changing move at the request of Coach Prime. He initially pitched himself as a linebacker, but Sanders convinced Houston to make the move to defensive end and the rest is history.

This article first appeared on Dallas Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: