James Houston never seemed to fit the Detroit Lions defense, even when he was piling up sacks at an impressive rate in the second half of his rookie season. And days before their Thanksgiving game against the Chicago Bears, the Lions decided it was time to let him go.

The Lions waived Houston on Tuesday, two days after he played just four defensive snaps in a 24-6 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

"It just never quite worked out," Lions coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday in Allen Park. "And look, wish him the best of luck, and sometimes you just need a fresh start and this could be great for him, so wish him the best."

This year, Houston struggled to crack the Lions' pass rush rotation, even after they lost starting defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport to injury. He was a healthy scratch for three games early in the year, had two tackles in a season-high 36 snaps in a Week 8 win over the Green Bay Packers, and played 35 snaps in the three games since.

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