Christian Jones

Out goes Devon Kennard and in comes Jamie Collins plus Reggie Ragland to join a linebacking corps that also features Jarrad Davis and Jahlani Tavai. Collectively, this group appears to be the deepest group of linebackers the Lions have had in years, and it might make it hard for Jones to log 600 defensive snaps for a fourth consecutive season. While Jones isn't much of an IDP prospect at this point anyway, any downturn in playing time will only make the 29-year-old less appealing in fantasy.

The Lions were maybe hoping for more from Jones during a 2018 season in which he racked up just 69 tackles after notching at least 86 in two out of four preceding years with Chicago. It's not out of the question that he could return to those levels, though, especially with Jarrad Davis expected to miss a few games to start the year. Not to mention, he'll undoubtedly benefit from a suddenly stacked Lions defensive front.

Fresh off a 90-tackle season with the Bears, Jones comes to the Lions on a two-year, $7.75 million deal that pales in comparison to the three-year, $18.75 million contract fellow linebacker Devon Kennard got from Detroit this offseason. This salary gap suggests Kennard is locked into one of the starting positions at outside linebacker, leaving Jones to compete with second-year player Jalen Reeves-Maybin for the other. Given Jones' past production - the Florida State product has reached 69 tackles in three of the past four years - he might have the edge for the job. However, even if he isn't the starter come Week 1, Jones should still see plenty of playing time in a rotation role.

The good news is that Jones finished third on the Bears in tackles as a rookie, and then he improved to lead the team in that category last year. The bad news is that the team added linebackers Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan to the roster this offseason, so Jones will go from being a starter to now being behind Freeman on the depth chart at left inside linebacker. In a part-time role, it will be difficult for Jones to be a consistent fantasy contributor.

Though he went undrafted out of Florida State last spring, Jones made a case for a roster spot with the Bears almost immediately in training camp and never looked back. Though he had to bide his time for snaps to open the season, Jones finally got his chance to shine down the stretch, when a number of injuries hit the Bears’ linebacking corps. While starting the final three games, Jones used his strong natural instincts as a run defender to gather 31 stops in that span, while also displaying the athleticism to stick with receivers in coverage. After Jon Bostic (back) missed most of the Bears’ offseason program, Jones will open camp as a member of the first team, and seems to be a safe bet to hang on to the starting role. Jones’ previous experience playing in 3-4 packages during his time in college should aid him in his transition to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s new scheme, and with more snaps coming his way in 2015, he could be a true breakout IDP. His production over the final three games of last season would translate to 165 tackles over a full campaign.

The Bears signed Jones as an undrafted free agent following a career at Florida State in which he was a three-year starter at linebacker. He was a shining star in OTAs and minicamp and could be a darkhorse to claim a backup role on the 53-man roster if he continues to make an impact in training camp.