The Detroit Lions were precociously young last season. While that gave considerable opportunity for young players to see the field, it also left the Lions largely devoid of veteran leadership in some areas.
That’s one of the reasons why Detroit bringing back veteran wide receiver Marvin Jones is such a popular move. Jones was known for being a valuable resource and respected leader in his first stint in Detroit from 2016-2020.
Jones is quickly reestablishing himself as the veteran mentor the wide receiver room needs. After just two days of voluntary workouts, the youngsters are already feeling Jones’ presence.
2023 NFL Draft: Could Detroit draft a receiver that compares to Marvin Jones?
The team’s top wideout, Amon-Ra St. Brown, spoke about how much he values Jones’s presence even at this early juncture.
“He’s been in the league a long time,” St. Brown stated. “Obviously you’re doing something right if you’ve been in the league that long. But we talked for like two hours (on Monday) after workouts, just about life and everything.”
What did they talk about? After noting that Jones taught himself to speak Spanish and St. Brown himself wants to do the same, Detroit’s Pro Bowl wideout added this,
“I was just asking him what his workout routine is, what he does, because I have a certain way of working out in the offseason. I know everyone’s different, so I was just asking him a bunch of questions on what he does, what he likes, and he told me what works for him. What he told me is that everyone’s different, which is right; everyone’s body is different so just asking him a bunch of questions.”
Jones is 33, 10 years older than St. Brown. He and another former Lions player who came back, offensive lineman Graham Glasgow, are the only guys on the Detroit offensive roster over 30.
