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The Detroit Lions will have a bunch of contract discussions between now and free agency in 2020. The fate of players like A’Shawn Robinson, Graham Glasgow, Tavon Wilson and Danny Amendola are all dependent on what the Lions want to do with their expiring contracts.
One player that also fell into that category was linebacker Christian Jones. However, on Saturday night, the Lions made sure there would be no offseason drama.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Lions have signed Jones to a two-year extension. The terms of that deal are not yet known.
The #Lions have signed LB Christian Jones to a two-year extension through 2021, per source. Jones has started every game of the Matt Patricia era, and now is in line to start a lot more.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 2, 2019
Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn brought in Jones after a four-year stint in Chicago. While Jones’ play has been anything but flashy, he has been a reliable player that hasn’t missed a start in one-and-a-half seasons in Detroit—starting 23 straight games. During that time, he’s totalled 98 tackles, 3.0 sacks, and seven passes defended.
The move is a little surprising considering Detroit drafted Jahlani Tavai in the second round this year and seem to like what they have in Jarrad Davis in the middle of the unit. However, Jones is a versatile piece that can play any linebacker position in Patricia’s defense.
As for Jones’ performance on the field, it has been a mixed bag.
2018's highest-graded linebackers in the NFC North pic.twitter.com/bRTc2YDiwO
— PFF (@PFF) February 17, 2019
At times, he’s struggled in coverage and this year he’s off to a rough start, especially when it comes to tackling. However, Jones does provide some veteran experience to a young and inexperienced group.