3 free agents who could come to the Lions with new OC Drew Petzing, including a starting center
Petzing might not be coming to Detroit by himself.
The Detroit Lions have hired their new offensive coordinator, Drew Petzing, away from the Arizona Cardinals. He may not have been the big name that Lions fans were hoping for, but this is a pretty solid hire for Detroit.
When teams hire new coaches or coordinators, there are always players who will follow them to the new team. Here are five guys who could go with Petzing to Detroit.
Hjalte Froholdt, Center
Froholdt is not quite a free agent yet, but he’s listed as one of the top 100 cut candidates by Over The Cap, and the Cardinals could be looking to save some money.
Plus, they have a center waiting in the wings. If that happens, the Lions could get their next starting center in free agency. Froholdt is a solid starting center and has been for the last three years in Arizona. He can pass block and, more importantly, he can run block. In 2024, he had one of the highest run-blocking grades in the league among centers, via Pro Football Focus. On the pass blocking side of things, he allowed just one sack in 2025.
James Connor, Running Back
Connor is also on the list of cuts the Cardinals could make to save cap space. With the potential that David Montgomery could be traded, Connor would give the Lions a short-term answer, while they either work Sione Vaki up to take the RB2 spot or wait to grab their future RB2 out of the draft.
Jonah Williams, Offensive Tackle
This one would help the Lions a lot. He wouldn’t be a starter, but this is your Dan Skipper replacement. Finding a solid swing tackle is not easy. Still, Williams, who has been a starter in the NFL and can give you solid snaps or starts in relief if needed, can be great in the jumbo packages the Lions love to run. He can play on both the left and right sides. The Lions still need to find their starter in the draft.