The Detroit Lions waive Julian Okwara and activate James Houston, an edge rusher.

James Houston, a second-year edge rusher, has been formally activated by the Detroit Lions. This was a necessary step this week.

James Houston’s 21-day window to be activated from injured reserve was set to expire this week; therefore, the Detroit Lions needed to activate him by Thursday in order to save his season. The decision to activate the second-year edge rusher was made on Thursday.

The matching move was to waive edge rusher Julian Okwara.

After suffering a fractured ankle while covering a kick in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Houston’s breakout season in the second year never got off the ground. Despite his expressed desire to participate in a regular season game before to the playoffs, the Lions’ tendency to postpone player recovery from serious injuries prevented him from being considered ready.

Houston also suffered a serious injury. One plate, two tight ropes (braided cords that secure the fibula), and four screws were inserted into his ankle during surgery to stabilize the break.

It was a little surprise that he wasn’t activated the week before the Wild Card game against the Rams because Houston practiced in full every day.

Houston informed reporters on Wednesday that he was prepared to play in the Divisional Round matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Houston might end up being one of the Lions’ inactives on Sunday instead of playing. However, if he were activated and then not used, it would appear strange that they were certain to win and that Houston would be able to make a difference in the NFC Championship Game or the Super Bowl. If he’s not in uniform, it would be a big surprise.

James Houston will hopefully be bring a little juice to the Lions’ pass rush.

Although the Lions’ pass rush has improved recently, the majority of the pressure on opposing quarterbacks still comes from Aidan Hutchinson.

Houston’s breakout talk throughout the offseason was inspired by his eight sacks in seven games as a rookie last season. Therefore, even if he only plays a few snaps against Tampa Bay—which is inevitable—he should be able to bother Baker Mayfield when he is on the field in a specialist pass-rushing role similar to Bruce Irvin’s former Lions job.