Detroit Lions unsure when Chris Houston will return
Detroit Lions cornerback Chris Houston flopped in the first season of a new contract, as it was an uncharacteristic year of getting burned for the usually solid CB. After a very strong 2012 season, Houston digressed in 2013, but he was still able to keep his streak of three straight seasons (now four) with at least ten passes defended alive.
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The 29-year-old needed toe surgery earlier this week after missing team workouts before the draft, and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell stated, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, that he isn’t sure when his top corner will be back, “I’m not certain, to be honest with you. I kind of leave those things up to our physicians. Those guys went to school for a long time to get those medical degrees so what I do is try to focus in on what we’re doing and I let them sort of navigate through it and then give me an indication at some point in time.”
That answer is about as vague as the answers former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz used to give when asked about in-season injuries, and it’s a bit hard to draw much out of it since he starts talking about how it’s the job of the medical staff. At this point in time, Houston is a toss-up for training camp, but hopefully we’ll be able to hear more regarding his status. He isn’t any doubt for the start of the regular season, though, and his absence will at least give players lower on the roster more snaps. That said, the loss of offseason time under new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will hurt a bit, especially since 2014 is set to be a bounce-back season for him.