While the Detroit Lions earned a Thanksgiving win over the Chicago Bears, they came away with a few injuries on the defensive side of the ball. On Friday, the Lions tried to plug some of their newfound holes.
Los Angeles signed defensive lineman Jonah Williams off of the Los Angeles Rams practice squad, via Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. His signing comes after linebacker Malcom Rodriguez's season-ending ACL injury and defensive lineman Josh Paschal picking up a knee injury of his own.
Williams joined the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Rams in 2020. He was eventually waived and joined the Minnesota Vikings, before restarting that exact process over. During his two stints with the Rams and Vikings respectively, Williams has appeared in 48 games, starting 22 of them.
In that time, the defensive tackle has racked up 80 tackles, nine quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks. In 2024, he has made three tackles and a QB hit in seven games. While the numbers don't jump off the page, Williams started 16 games for the Rams in 2023. Furthermore, he was a part of Los Angeles' Super Bowl winning squad in 2022. Overall, the Lions clearly value what Williams brings to the table.
Article Continues BelowHe'll be joining a defense that exits Week 13 ranked 11 in total defense, allowing 320.3 yards per game. This comes with all of the injuries Detroit is facing, including to arguably their best defensive player in Aidan Hutchinson.
Jonah Williams won't singlehandedly revive Detroit's defense; not like they needed saving with how they've responded to injuries. But he'll give the Lions another veteran presence to rely on. They'd be hard pressed to find a dominant pass rusher at this stage of the season. But Detroit will appreciate Williams experience on the gridiron.
Their close win over the Bears moved the Lions to 11-1 on the season. With Williams now in tow, Detroit will hope to make that 12-1 against the Green Bay Packers in Week 14.