I don’t understand why James Houston barely sees the field when the Cowboys have failed to fix their pass rush to this point.
Every week we talk about the scheme, the coaching, or somebody the Cowboys should bring in and all those points are fair. But I want to know whether the Cowboys have gotten everything they can out of the players already in the locker room.
James Houston is the one I want to see more of. When I looked at what he did with his very limited opportunities last season, I found more reason to question why he isn’t getting on the field.
James Houston Already Produced in a Limited Role
Houston finished last season with 5.5 sacks while only playing 307 defensive snaps. That was only about 28% of Dallas’ defensive plays, or about 18 snaps per game. He contributed more than most players without having a starter’s workload.
I like that his pass rush numbers make his production much more interesting. James Houston rushed the quarterback 182 times and generated 25 pressures. That means he hurried, hit, or sacked the quarterback about once every seven snaps.
His sack numbers work out to one sack every 33 rushes.
We don’t have to stretch those numbers into some kind of prediction about what he could do as a starter because he’s already showed us he can help in the role I want Dallas to give him.
Instead, this season, he’s had just 10 defensive snaps through five games, with only two of those being a pass rush. That’s barely a chance for an NFL player to break a sweat, much less show if he can help the defense.
The Von Miller Comparison Is Hard to Ignore
I wanted to know how James Houston’s production compared with the names ahead of him on the depth chart. Von Miller is the guy who caught my attention, and it’s probably because he isn’t used to enough either.
Last season, Miller recorded nine official sacks on 289 pass-rush opportunities. Houston had 5.5 on 182. Do the math, and both averaged about three sacks for every 100 times they rushed the quarterback.
We all know Miller has a career that Houston can’t touch, but we’re talking about who can help Dallas get stops now, and Houston’s production per opportunity was nearly identical to Miller’s.
James Houston also created pressure on 13.7% of his rushes last season. Rashan Gary was at 13%, Miller at 12.5%, and Donovan Ezeiruaku was at 10.5%. The workloads aren’t comparable, as Gary and Ezeiruaku played a lot more football, but Houston needs to be in the conversation.
Houston’s numbers even hold up in a narrow comparison with some of the NFL’s best. I divided official sacks by total pressures, and it gave Houston a higher ratio (22%) than Danielle Hunter (18.1%), Aiden Hutchinson (14.5%), and Will Anderson Jr (12.9%). He only trailed Myles Garrett (27.4%).
Those stars generated more pressures overall, so this doesn’t put him in their weight class, but it does show that his limited opportunities produced sacks.
Don’t you think that is enough for another look at James Houston?
His Shoulder Injury Needs to be Accounted For
James Houston has dealt with a shoulder injury, and the coaches know more about his injury than we do. But before the Texans game, he practiced fully all three days, had no game-status designation, and was still inactive.
He was also listed as a full participant before the Tampa Bay game, but was still sat out.
I know full participation doesn’t always mean 100%. Still, those reports make it fair to ask what’s keeping him from getting more work?
If the shoulder is the issue, I get it, but if the issue is playing the guys who make more money or have a higher draft grade. Then that is a load of, you know what.
Here’s to hoping James Houston can get more snaps, and who knows, maybe those snaps will turn into a multi-sack game.
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