Amid Micah Parsons Question, Cowboys Sign Deion Sanders Protege James Houston As Pass-Rusher originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
OXNARD – The Dallas Cowboys are following up their three-man free agent pass-rusher workout to open training camp here in Oxnard with the signing of the one with the most notable background.
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Before taking the field for the first practice on Tuesday, the Cowboys worked out former Detroit Lions sixth-round draft pick James Houston and two others, Jesse Luketa (a Micah Parsons pal from Penn State) and Kameron Cline.
Houston, 26, was a 2022 pick and exploded onto the scene as a rookie, recording eight sacks in that first season, but now has just one more than that for his total career.
What else does Houston have? An interesting connection to the Cowboys organization, because of the fact that he was once mentored by Deion Sanders when “Coach Prime” was at Jackson State.
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Houston, in fact, became the first-ever NFL draft pick coached in college by Sanders, the iconic former Cowboys and Hall of Famer.
In Houston’s final year at Jackson State, he totaled 16.5 sacks, which put him on the NFL map.
In his professional career, he’s played in just 20 games, recording 21 tackles, nine sacks, eight tackles for a loss, 14 quarterback hits, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
The Cowboys have a load of defensive ends who can rush the passer, led by Micah Parsons, who is involved in contract talks with Dallas and therefore might be a “hold-in” while he awaits a deal that should be worth more than $40 million APY to make him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.
So maybe some snaps go to Houston in camp (he replaces linebacker Luiji Vilain, who was cut) … and maybe he recaptures his promise in a bid for a 53-man roster spot with the Cowboys.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.