Detroit Lions Mailbag: The best available free agent the Lions need to call, and what happens to the Lions’ project players
Of all the best remaining free agents for the Lions, this is their guy. Plus we answer what could happen to Giovanni Manu and talk about why the Lions didn’t spend more money
The 2026 NFL Draft is three weeks from the time you just got done reading this sentence. Let’s answer some Detroit Lions questions.
What still available free agents do I think would be a good fit for the Lions ahead of the draft, on offense and defense
On defense, I think Jadeveon Clowney brings a lot of what the Lions like. He can stop the run fairly well, and he can still get after the quarterback. He had 40 pressures and nine sacks last season.
On offense, I’m not really sure there’s anyone out there that the Lions really need at this point. This offense is chock-full of players at the moment, and they’re probably going to add an extra tackle and maybe a tight end in the draft. I’ve got nothing.
Thoughts on Kayton Allen and Drew Allar fitting with the Lions
I like Allen’s fit a lot. His player comp is David Montgomery. You can really see that when you watch the tape. He lowers his shoulder and runs hard, but he also has that shiftiness that Montgomery had in Detroit.
As far as Allar goes, I can see the Lions looking at him like they looked at Hendon Hooker. An injured quarterback who played really well before that injury, and maybe can play well after it. The bonus part with Allar over Hooker is that the former Penn State quarterback is just 22 years old.
Could Miles Frazier get a shot at tackle?
This is a hard question to answer because we never got to see Frazier in camp, and we never really got an idea of what they wanted to do with him. So I don’t necessarily know their intentions with him. But one of the reasons they drafted him is because of his positional versatility.
With that said, the Lions do usually like to cross-train their young offensive linemen to see what they can do. So I would not be shocked if we get to mini-camp and/or training camp and thye don’t throw him at tackle.
What do the Lions’ offensive line signings say about Giovanni Manu and Colby Sorsdal?
I think they’re both in trouble for sure. If the Lions draft a tackle like we all expect them to do, Manu goes to the third spot and Sorsdal to the fourth. What makes it worse for both guys is that theoretically they could move out guard, but the Lions have a bunch of guys there that they can’t beat out. It would not be a shock if one of these guys doesn’t make it to camp. It would be less of a shock if neither were on the team at all in 2026.
Do the Lions not want to win a Super Bowl?
I think that’s a bad read of the situation. The Lions 100% want to win a Super Bowl, and they want to do it as soon as possible. The trouble here is that so many people are programmed to think that the only way to do that is to sign a bunch of big free agents and spend a ton of money. That pretty much never works.
For the most part, free agency pretty much doesn’t work out for most teams every single year. It’s why you keep seeing the same teams spending the most money every year and the same teams in the top 10 of the draft every year. They’re living proof it doesn’t work.
The Lions spent the 26th most money in free agency this year. Look at the teams around them. The Rams were 24th, the Eagles were 28th, the Packers were 29th, and the Broncos were 30th. These are the teams Lions fans frequently believe are spending way more than the Lions. They’re just not.
