Detroit Lions Sign DE Christian Covington

The Lions have added a veteran presence to their defensive line.

The Detroit Lions have signed veteran defensive end Christian Covington. Terms of the contract were not immediately disclosed.

An eight-year NFL veteran, Covington has played for four different teams throughout his career. Most recently, he was with the Los Angeles Chargers for two seasons. 

The veteran defensive lineman has played 102 NFL games, starting 32 on the defensive line. Last season, he appeared in just four games, and notched 12 tackles, including one for loss. 

The 29-year-old was productive for the Chargers in 2021. That season, he logged 52 tackles, including three for loss, and one sack.

Before that, he had stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans. He entered the league in 2015, when he was a sixth-round pick of the Texans. 

Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, he played collegiately at Rice University. 

There, he totaled 122 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks across three seasons. 

The Lions have been quiet on the defensive line market throughout the offseason. Isaiah Buggs and Benito Jones were both brought back, and the team drafted Brodric Martin in the third round of the NFL Draft. 

However, Covington is the team's first external free-agent signing within the unit. 

The Lions are set to begin rookie minicamp on Friday, and will learn their 2023 schedule on Thursday. 

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