Lions Re-Sign DL John Cominsky

The Lions agreed to a new contract with one of their top offseason additions.

John Cominsky went from a little-known, waiver-wire addition to one of the Detroit Lions’ most popular defenders.

Now, he’s re-signed with the Lions.

The deal, reported by NFL Network, is for two years and $8.5 million, with another $1 million attainable in incentives and $4 million in guarantees. 

The move is the latest commitment to the defense by Detroit general manager Brad Holmes. He re-signed defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs and linebacker Alex Anzalone on Monday, while also adding cornerback Cameron Sutton on a three-year deal. 

Cominsky had a productive season with the Lions in 2022, finishing with 30 tackles (18 solo) and four sacks. He also recorded 12 quarterback hits, and forced a fumble in the regular season finale against Green Bay. 

 He ranked second on the team in pressures behind Aidan Hutchinson with 44, and earned a Pro Football Focus overall defensive grade of 68.2.

That defensive grade ranked seventh on the Lions. He logged eight quarterback hurries, which tied with Buggs for first on the team. 

The Lions picked up Cominsky during the 202 offseason by claiming him off waivers. Even though the Atlanta Falcons made the decision to move on, the talented defensive lineman had several suitors put in a claim for him on the waiver wire. Because the Lions were first in the claim order, they secured his services. 

Though he missed three games with a broken thumb last season, he wound up making a sizable impact on Detroit’s defense. He played all over the defensive line, serving in a number of different roles.

Heading into free agency, some wondered if the Lions would be able to re-sign him after his performance. He’d been claimed by eight different teams upon hitting waivers last season, so those same teams were expected to be interested moving forward. 

It was never a question of whether the 27-year-old wanted to return to Detroit, though. He was affirmative of his desire to remain a Lion at the conclusion of the regular season. 

“Yeah, absolutely. I definitely want to be here,” Cominsky said. “The culture and everything I think helped me to thrive and reach closer to my full potential. And so, if I want to reach that full potential, my best bet is to be here in Detroit.” 

The presence of Cominsky, alongside 2022 rookies Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston, gives the Lions an exciting core of pass rushers to build around.