The Detroit Lions hope they have their starting interior defensive line of the future with Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams. In a perfect world, rookie Skyler Gill-Howard will emerge as a significant contributor as well. But that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be a place for Benito Jones in Detroit during 2026.
Jones played for the Lions in 2022 and 2023. During his final Detroit season, he started 15 contests.
A to Z Sports’s Mike Payton has stressed in multiple articles recently the Lions should consider bringing back the veteran defensive lineman.
On Friday, Payton included Jones on a list of eight remaining free agents who makes sense for the Lions.
“He was a solid nose tackle for Detroit, and he can be that in a rotational depth sense this time around,” wrote Payton. “Plus, he doesn’t come anywhere close to breaking the bank.”
Jones posted 42 combined tackles and 2.5 sacks in 34 games with the Lions. He spent the past two seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
Lions Encouraged to Consider Bringing Back Benito Jones
Payton included Jones on his list Friday after first hyping the defensive lineman as a Lions free agency target Thursday.
The A to Z writer sees Jones as a quality potential addition to Detroit’s defensive line rotation.
“The suggestion here isn’t that the Lions bring in Jones to start. They’re set with the starters in the middle with both Alim McNeill and last year’s first-round pick Tyleik Williams,” wrote Payton.
“Jones would be that rotational guy with rookie Skyler Gill-Howard. You can bring him in on early downs to help stuff the run and then bring in Gill-Howard for your pass rushing reps.
“I’m not sure the Lions have that at this moment.”
Jones played a career high 567 defensive snaps with the Lions in 2023. During that campaign, he had the most tackles of his career — 13 solos and 13 assists.
Interestingly, though, the Pro Football Focus player grades do not portray Jones as a strong run defender.
Last season, Jones earned a 45.9 PFF grade in run defense, which was significantly below average. Jones has never fared better than 52.3 in the category.
In the veteran’s defense, according to PFF, he’s better in run defense now than he was two years ago. So if the Lions liked what Jones gave them a couple seasons ago, Jones is a candidate to do that again.
But if PFF is an indication of anything, Jones is not an elite run stopper.
Lions Interior Defensive Line Depth Entering 2026 NFL Offseason Workouts
Detroit is embracing a youth movement of sorts along the defensive line this offseason.
The Lions didn’t bring back veteran defensive tackle D.J. Reader. Instead, the team seems content to start Williams, a 2025 first-rounder, next to McNeill.
For depth, the Lions added Gill-Howard in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Veterans Levi Onwuzurike and Mekhi Wingo are providing depth at defensive tackle on the team’s offseason roster as well.
Jones could bring more veteran experience and offer more reliability than Onwuzurike, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. The Lions, though, might want to wait to see how Onwuzurike and other defensive tackles look in offseason workouts before signing Jones.
The Lions also have Jay Tufele, Chris Smith, and Myles Adams as defensive line options on their offseason roster.
Lions Urged to Consider Defensive Line Reunion in NFL Free Agency