The Detroit Lions raised a lot of eyebrows on draft night this year with their second-round selection of Jahlani Tavai. While Detroit taking a linebacker that high wasn’t all that surprising—it was an underreported need for the team—the choice itself was certainly unexpected.
But this roster review isn’t about Tavai, it’s about the player he may be bumping out of the starting lineup eventually.
Christian Jones has been the forgotten member of the Lions’ linebacker squad. A relatively undersold free agent signing in 2018, Jones actually played a huge role for the Lions defense, and his performance was probably better than you remember.