The Cowboys have made a last-minute personnel swap just as training camp gets underway in Oxnard.
Veteran defensive end James Houston was signed by the club on Tuesday, one day after a workout from the 26-year-old.
Houston started his college career at Florida before transferring to Jackson State in 2021 and playing one season under head coach Deion Sanders. A sixth-round draft pick of Detroit in 2022, he got off to a blazing start in the pros. In his very first NFL game, he recorded two sacks, two solo tackles, and a fumble recovery in only five defensive snaps.
Houston went on to notch five total sacks in his first four game appearances as rookie, but he played in just 10 more games over the next two seasons due to an ankle injury. He was waived by the Lions in November 2024. After getting picked up by Cleveland, he played in three more contests, registering only modest stats along the way.
To make room for Houston, the Cowboys have released DE Luiji Vilain, the 2022 undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest.
While Houston does have pro experience and has shown flashes at times, he’ll still have a long climb ahead of him to make the roster in Dallas. The team’s edge players already include Micah Parsons, Dante Fowler Jr., Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, Payton Turner, second-round draft pick Donovan Ezeiruaku, Tyrus Wheat, and Earnest Brown IV.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys sign former Lions edge, bump a Vilain to make space
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
