Jackson State transfer success story who has carved out a productive pass-rushing role across three NFL franchises.
James Houston converted a position switch at Jackson State into an NFL career, moving from Detroit to Cleveland and now to Dallas as a rotational edge rusher who consistently gets after the quarterback.
Path to the league
Houston began his college career at Florida before transferring to Jackson State, where he switched from linebacker to edge rusher and produced against lesser competition. Detroit selected him in the sixth round, 217th overall, of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Houston played for the Lions from 2022-2024 before a stint with the Browns later in 2024 and a move to Dallas in 2025. Through 2025 he has totaled 56 career tackles, 14.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, and he has been recognized for his impact as an HBCU alum.
2025 season recap
Houston played all 17 games for the Cowboys in a rotational role without a start, producing 35 tackles and 5.5 sacks along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. His 5.5 sacks ranked second on the team behind only Jadeveon Clowney.
Sources
- Wikipedia: James Houston (American football)
- Pro Football Reference: James Houston
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | cowboys | 17 | 35 | 18 | 5.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | lions | 8 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | lions | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | lions | 7 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Jackson State
- Hometown
- Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
- Age
- 27
- Status
- active
