Former Lion Begins Stint With New Team on Sour Note

With the Detroit Lions on the doorstep of clinching a playoff berth heading into Week 14, the focus of GM Brad Holmes and co. is now on optimizing this roster for the postseason. Detroit opted to shed some weight just before its Thanksgiving matchup against the Chicago Bears by releasing pass-rusher James Houston, who's disappointed after an incredible rookie showing in 2022.

Houston didn't make it past waivers, though, as the Cleveland Browns decided to claim him on Nov. 27 and take a chance on the recent sixth-round pick.

Since the Browns didn't play in Week 13 until Monday night, Houston had to wait an extra day for the first chance to make his debut with his new team. However, it turns out he'll have to be even more patient for that moment.

Prior to kickoff versus the Denver Broncos, Cleveland announced Houston was among its seven inactives for the contest. While some of those names were held out due to injuries, Houston was simply a healthy scratch as the Browns decided they were better off without him for this game.

Now, this makes sense on some level. After all, Houston had only been a member of Cleveland since last Wednesday, so there were only a handful of practices to incorporate him into the defense. Given his lack of familiarity with the system, the Browns had a legitimate reason to be wary of trotting him out on a short turnaround.

That being said, it's not like Cleveland was entering a must-win game where it needed its absolute best on the field. They were 3-8 entering the matchup, putting them firmly in the position of chasing a top draft pick and evaluating young players for the future.

That should've made Houston an obvious candidate to see at least some snaps. Though he does have that 8-sack rookie season to his name, he's done next to nothing since, so the jury is still out on him. As a result, you'd figure the Browns would be excited to play their new EDGE and see what he can do under Jim Schwartz.

Now, Houston has one less game to impress not only his new team, but every squad around the league as he tries to find his home after flaming out in Detroit. Whether his absence on Monday was due to Cleveland's incompetence or something on Houston's part, it's clear he's not off to a hot start away from the Motor City.