What Contract Should Lions Offer John Cominsky?
There were a variety of unsung heroes that helped the Lions win eight of their last 10 games and finish 9-8 in 2022.
But, few were bigger than defensive lineman John Cominsky, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The 27-year-old emerged on to the scene in a significant fashion this past season.
A fourth-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2019, Cominsky spent his first three NFL seasons in Atlanta. His best season as a member of the Falcons came in 2020, when he logged nearly 400 defensive snaps and amassed 21 total pressures and a respectable Pro Football Focus grade of 67.4.
The following season, though, amid a change in scheme from a four-man front to a 3-4 defense, Cominsky fell out of favor in Atlanta, and proceeded to play in only four games.
Subsequently, he was released by the Falcons during the offseason following the 2021 season, and the Lions were lucky enough to claim him off waivers due to their 3-13-1 record in '21.
Vincent Carchietta, USA TODAY Sports
Fast-forward to the 2022 campaign, and Cominsky was a godsend for a Detroit defense that received little-to-no production from fellow defensive linemen Michael Brockers, Charles Harris and Romeo Okwara.
Cominsky, in 14 games with Detroit in '22, finished with career-best marks in nearly every single statistical category. Among them were his 30 total tackles, five tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, four sacks and three passes defensed.
The 6-foot-5, 285-pound defender also notched the second-most QB pressures on the Lions this past season, with 17 of them. And remember, he did all of this while playing the majority of the season with a club over his hand, after suffering a broken thumb in Week 2.
He was certainly an under-the-radar, invaluable piece to Detroit's defense in 2022, and Lions general manager Brad Holmes should make it a priority to bring him back this offseason.
"He’s very important, and really, when we lost him for that period of time, it did affect us because there’s a lot of things that he does that go unseen from the outside,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Cominsky in January. “I think there’s a number of things when it comes to our stunt games and setting up our rush patterns that he is kind of our point guy on a little bit, if you will. He’s highly intelligent. Certainly, he’s high motor, he is aggressive. But, I think he’s a little bit of that glue for those guys up front.”
Once again, if I'm Holmes, I'm looking to re-sign Cominsky, and I'm using the contract the Lions dished out to Harris last offseason as a model for setting up Cominsky's deal. Harris received a two-year, $13 million extension from Detroit.
So, if I'm Holmes & Co., I'm offering Cominsky a two-year deal worth $15 million in total ($7.5M per season). I think that gets a deal done with the former Falcons defender, who told reporters after the Lions' season finale in Green Bay that he does want to return to the Motor City.
