Cowboys 2026 roster rundown: EDGE James Houston
James Houston hasn’t been talked about much this offseason, and that’s a good thing. While Dallas has made sweeping changes throughout its defense in 2026, Houston remains in place as a solid carryover asset from last year. What role will he have in his second season with the Cowboys?
Background
Years in NFL: 4
Acquired by: Free agency (2025)
Houston was a sixth-round pick by Lions in 2022. He was waived at final cuts and made it onto the practice squad, where he spent the first 11 weeks of the year. This isn’t that unusual for a late-round pick, but the next part of his rookie season story definitely is.
Called up for Detroit’s Week 12 game against Buffalo, Houston only played five defensive snaps but had two sacks and a fumble recovery in his very limited time. This kept him on the active roster going forward, and he’d log a sack in each of the next three games. In Week 17, his first career start, he terrorized Chicago with three sacks. Houston rode this momentum in 2023 as a pass-rushing specialist for the Lions.
Unfortunately, things quickly turned for the worse. In Week 2 of his second season, Houston suffered a fractured fibula and severe ankle sprain. These kept him out for the rest of the regular season, though he did get reactivated for Detroit’s loss in the NFC Championship Game. He returned in 2024 for 11 games but was still struggling with the effects of his injury, and the Lions waived him. He was claimed by Cleveland and appeared in their final three games.
A free agent in 2025, Houston sat unemployed until just before training camps were getting going. The Cowboys needed some pass-rushing help as Micah Parsons’ contract negotiations were still ongoing, and the rest of the group was full of question marks. Houston would quickly emerge as one of the stars of camp, even being called “unblockable” by head coach Brian Schottenheimer and drawing public praise from Dak Prescott.
Houston earned a spot on the 53-man roster and, despite only playing about 28% of the total defensive snaps, finished second on the team with 5.5 sacks. He has one year left on his deal and returns with a pretty clear path to a roster spot.
Contract Status
Years Left: 1
2026 Cap Hit: $1.1 million
Dallas was fortunate to have signed Houston a two-year contract last summer. Given his track record and solid 2025 performance, he might’ve cost at least $3-$4 million per year to bring back as a free agent. But now he projects to be a bargain as part of the pass-rushing rotation, regardless of how big his share his.
2026 Projections
Role: Backup OLB
Roster Chance: 90%
It’s nearly impossible to come up with a senario that excludes Houston from the Cowboys’ roster. Even with the additions of Rashan Gary and Malachi Lawrence, he still projects to be the fourth man behind them and Donovan Ezeiruaku. And while Sam Williams might surprise us in his redemption attempt, Dallas will likely keep five total edge rushers. But even if it’s only four, Houston is the favorite to beat out Williams for that last spot.
But could Houston’s role be even bigger? In his healthiest seasons, 2022 and 2025, he’s been a sack machine. And unlike the last four years, when being undersized has hurt Houston’s playing time in 4-3 defenses, he’s well-suited to the OLB role in Christian Parker’s 3-4 scheme. We just might see Houston push his way into that top three, especially as nothing is certain with Ezeiruaku, Gary, or Lawrence.
Whatever the role, Houston is a virtual lock to be part of the Cowboys’ 2026 defense. If he can build on last year’s work and adapt well to the scheme change, he could wind up as a very significant part. With so much uncertainty throughout the defense, including the edge players, Houston presents one of the more intriguing x-factors in this year’s camp.
Check out our previous player profiles from this series:
C Cooper Beebe
G Tyler Booker
S Alijah Clark
EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku
TE Jake Ferguson
S Malik Hooker
WR Jordan Hudson
LB Shemar James
G Trevor Keegan
S P.J. Locke
FB Hunter Luepke
RB Phil Mafah
QB Joe Milton III
WR Jonathan Mingo
CB Devin Moore
LB DeMarvion Overshown
TE DJ Rogers
LS Trent Sieg
WR Anthony Smith
OT Terence Steele
CB Reddy Steward
DT Jay Toia
EDGE Tyrus Wheat
EDGE Sam Williams
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