The Detroit Lions are currently slated to be $9 million under the cap this offseason, but it sounds like the team still plans to be active in free agency, especially at one position.
According to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, Detroit has been doing its research on the free agent offensive tackle market.
“Sounds like they’ve [the Lions have] been doing a lot of homework on free agent tackles,” Jeremiah said of Detroit via Tim Twentyman of Lions.com. “We’ll see what happens with (Taylor) Decker, but it feels like there could definitely be a need there.
Detroit could move on from long-time starting left tackle Taylor Decker in the coming months, as the Lions could save up to $17.9 million by cutting or trading the veteran.
If Detroit cuts ties with Decker, signing a new starting left tackle would be a logical course of action from general manager Brad Holmes.
The best left tackle option on the market is Rasheed Walker, who started 16 games for the Green Bay Packers in 2025 and 17 in 2024. Cam Robinson of the Cleveland Browns could also be a potential target for Detroit, as well as Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith.
We’ll see whether the Lions move on from Decker and replace him with one of these free agents. It’s going to be an intriguing offseason for Detroit as the franchise looks to rebound in 2026 after missing the postseason in 2025.
