Pride of Detroit
While the playoffs are in full swing, the Detroit Lions have shifted their focus to the offseason. It’s been a tough pill to swallow for many, something owner Sheila Hamp addressed in her end-of-the-year communication to season-ticket holders, but an important offseason lies ahead for a football team in search of recapturing their je ne sais quoi.
The Lions have built the foundation of their team through the NFL Draft. Four of Detroit’s draft picks were named to the AP’s 2025 NFL All-Pro team, and players like Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and Jameson Williams are elite, homegrown players who fill out their skill positions. Prior to injury, Detroit arguably sported the best safety duo in the NFL with Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch being Day 2 gems snatched by Brad Holmes and Co. in consecutive drafts.
But before we get to the 2026 NFL Draft and what’s been this regime’s bread and butter when it comes to roster construction, free agency is the first stop along the way of the offseason. Here are four free agents who could help the Lions return to the postseason next year.
At the top of most people’s wishlist this offseason is Tyler Linderbaum, center for the Baltimore Ravens, but that’s a pipe dream mostly fueled by website rankings of the top free agents technically still available in 2026.
The Ravens declined Linderbaum’s fifth-year option last year because, unlike most other positions, those salaries aren’t determined by the specific spot a player lines up along the offensive line—i.e. despite Linderbaum being a center, his salary is determined by a number of factors including playtime and Pro Bowl selections, but his base salary is calculated from the average of the third to 20th highest salaries of all offensive linemen over the past five seasons. Had the Ravens picked up his option, Linderbaum would have made $23.4 million in 2026, making him the league’s highest-paid center ahead of Kansas City’s Creed Humphrey.
That all being understood, the Lions still need to figure out their plan at the center position, and that starts with where they think Tate Ratledge’s talents are best spent. Holmes did mention during his end-of-the-year presser that Ratledge didn’t “look like a fish out of water” when he spent the opening week of training camp repping at center. Figuring out if he’s the guy feels like the first thing the team needs to determine before anything else, but it has to be with a lot of conviction. This offense can ill afford stumbling out of the gate in training camp for a second year in a row. If Ratledge is the plan at center, the team could instead focus on signing a veteran depth center to the main roster or practice squad—or they could draft a developmental player now that Kingsley Eguakun is with the Cleveland Browns.
But after a turbulent year of offensive line play, expecting Ratledge to make a seamless and effective transition to center...
