The Lions Need Interior Help, And This Ex-Lion Makes Perfect Sense
The Lions are set at edge rusher, but their defensive tackle depth chart still has some question marks. While the free agent market for interior linemen isn’t exactly overflowing with talent they’d want to pay for, there’s one familiar face that could solve their nose tackle problem without breaking the bank.
Benito Jones. Remember him?
Why Jones Makes Sense For Detroit
Jones spent two seasons in Honolulu Blue and did exactly what you want from a rotational nose tackle. He stuffed the run, ate blocks, and didn’t try to do too much. He was with the Lions in 2022 and 2023, starting during that 2023 season when this defense was starting to find its identity.
Since leaving Detroit, Jones has been with Miami as both a starter and rotational piece. He played well in run defense – the kind of steady, unspectacular work that wins games in January.
Look, nobody’s suggesting Jones comes in to start. The Lions are set in the middle with Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams holding down the fort. But as a rotational piece with rookie Skyler Gill-Howard? That actually makes a lot of sense.
The Depth Chart Reality
Right now the Lions have Myles Adams, who they’ve shown some faith in before. After that? It gets thin real quick. Levi Onwuzurike is more of a pass-rush option if he can stay healthy. Jay Tufele could theoretically play this role, but Jones has already proven he can do it at Ford Field.
You bring Jones in on early downs to help stuff the run, then rotate in Gill-Howard for pass-rushing situations. It’s the kind of smart, low-cost move that Brad Holmes has built his reputation on.
The beauty of this potential reunion is simple: no mystery, no learning curve, no hoping a guy can adapt to the system. Jones already knows what the Lions want from their interior linemen. He’s been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.
Is bringing back Benito Jones the sexy move that gets Lions fans fired up, or is it exactly the kind of boring depth signing that championship teams make? Drop your take in the comments.
Honestly this is exactly the kind of move that shows Brad Holmes gets it. No flashy free agent signing that costs a ton of cap space, just a guy who knows the system and can do his job on early downs. That’s how you build depth without breaking the bank. Love it.
I get why people like the idea but I need to see what’s actually available first before I’m convinced Jones is the answer. There’s gotta be other options out there, and I’m just not ready to get excited about a rotational nose tackle when we’ve got question marks everywhere else.
Now this is the kind of sensible football move we never used to see from this organization. Bringing back a familiar face who already knows what we want, no drama, no learning curve. This is what winning teams do, and I’m glad to see it happening in Detroit.
The fact that we can rotate bodies on the interior line without losing quality is huge for keeping McNeill and Williams fresh. If Jones comes back and does his thing, that’s a smart depth move that could matter late in the season.