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The Detroit Lions appear to be well on their way to a busy Wednesday. First, the Lions re-signed cornerback Chris Houston on Wednesday morning, and they have now agreed to a deal with free-agent defensive end Jason Jones, according to his agent. Tim Twentyman reports that the deal is for three years.
Jones stopped by the Lions' facility shortly after free agency opened on Tuesday, and he continued his visit on Wednesday. Jones didn't have to go far to meet with his new team, as he is from Detroit. He played college football just down the road at Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti, and he went to Lathrup High School in Southfield before that.
In the NFL, Jones was a second-round pick of the Tennessee Titans back in 2008. Lions head coach Jim Schwartz was the Titans' defensive coordinator at that time, so Jones already has a connection to the coaching staff. Following four seasons in Tennessee, Jones played with the Seattle Seahawks in 2012. He had 3.0 sacks, which is just around his average (3.7 sacks per season).
The Lions now have Jones, Willie Young and Ronnell Lewis at defensive end. Adam Caplan speculates that Jones could also play defensive tackle in the Lions' nickel package, but I'd imagine he will primarily play defensive end. He could potentially start, but even if he does, the Lions still have a pretty big need at defensive end. This is just the first step in rebuilding depth at the position.
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