Before he was a highly-paid fixture on the Jets offensive line, before he was a Pro Bowler for the 49ers, Laken Tomlinson was a benched former first-round draft pick for the Lions.
“I’m thankful they drafted me where they did, and I learned a lot about the league and how to handle my business in Detroit,” Tomlinson said leading up to Sunday’s Jets-Lions matchup at MetLife Stadium. “I met a lot of great people.”
Tomlinson signed a three-year, $40 million free-agent contract with the Jets in March, after turning around his career over five seasons with the 49ers. He spent two seasons with the Lions — starting 24 of 32 games — and went from first-round selection in 2015 to traded away for a fifth-rounder in 2017 after a general manager change.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Tomlinson said. “I was blessed that someone wanted to trade for me, and I was fortunate enough to be paired up with [Kyle] Shanahan and his coaching staff. A lot of those same guys are here now with the Jets. I felt like that was something I needed in my career. When you create a good working environment for the players, you get that much more out of players. That’s the first thing I felt when I got there.”
In his first year with the Jets, Tomlinson has missed just two of a possible 866 offensive snaps at left guard as the left tackle, right tackle and right guard positions have been in flux.
“Everything is still in front of us, through all the ups and downs we’ve had this season, all injuries and stuff,” Tomlinson said. “This December ball, I’m excited for what this group can do. We know what’s at stake, and we know that we can be the reason why we win.”
The Lions have undergone so much change in five years that little besides the uniform will look familiar to Tomlinson.
“I took advantage of the situation that happened to me and made the most of it,” Tomlinson said. “Some people might look at it as a negative, but for me it was a positive. San Francisco believed in me, I felt wanted when they brought me in, and you can play for a long time in this league if you have great confidence.”
DT Quinnen Williams (calf) didn’t practice for the third straight day but the Jets are holding out hope for his availability by listing him as questionable.
“He’s still going to be 50/50,” head coach Robert Saleh said, “but D-linemen don’t need to practice to be able to be ready for game day.”
WR Corey Davis (concussion), CB Brandin Echols (strained quad) and QB Mike White (ribs) are out.
The Lions will be without OG Kayode Awosika and LB Derrick Barnes. DL Michael Brockers is doubtful, and DE Aidan Hutchinson, FB Jason Cabinda, C Frank Ragnow and CB Mike Hughes are questionable. The rookie Hutchinson’s availability could be a big swing one way or the other.