5 former Lions who could come back to Detroit for 2022

2. WR Marvin Jones

This is one I want, and I assume I’m not alone. Jones signed a two-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars last offseason, as the Lions entered a rebuild and let him go. He then found something beyond the worst levels of Detroit-style dysfunction under Urban Meyer.

New Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson certainly values veterans as he tries to set a course in Jacksonville, and Jones remains a productive player too (73 catches for 832 yards and four touchdowns in 2021). But if the Lions offered…say a third-round pick?, would the Jaguars listen?

1. S Quandre Diggs

Diggs was one of the veteran players cast off by Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn, but the idea of him  coming back to Detroit gained some buzz with the Lions’ Week 17 visit to Seattle and his comments to Penei Sewell after the game expressing admiration for the city. He has now played out the extension the Lions gave him in 2018. The Lions have never truly replaced him, and their need for a ball hawk at safety is clear.

Diggs suffered a broken fibula and a dislocated ankle in Week 18, which is sure to impact his market in free agency. But ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported the veteran safety is expected to be fully cleared by June, in plenty of time for training camp. That’s along the line of the 4-5 month recovery time, but it’s still very good news.

No NFL safety has more interceptions (10) than Diggs over the last two seasons, and he set a career-high with 94 total tackles for the Seahawks last season. Seattle would surely like to bring him back, but the Lions also surely have some interest in bringing him back and they might win that battle.