4 cost-effective free agents to help Detroit Lions return to playoffs

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.

Cade Mays, C—but first, a disclaimer

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 feels like a real roll of the dice. Adding a proven commodity to the middle of Detroit’s offensive line is the clearest path to that unit bouncing back, and Cade Mays of the Carolina Panthers feels like he could be that player to help the Lions’ offense return to form.

Jeremy Reisman highlighted Mays as one of the potential free agents to keep an eye on in the Panthers playoff game last weekend. While he didn’t begin this season as Carolina’s starting center, he took over the job in Week 2 after veteran Austin Corbett was pushed to IR with an injury. What’s particularly noteworthy is how Mays kept the center job for the rest of the season despite Corbett returning in Week 7.

Mays clocked 793 snaps on offense this season, the most he’s registered in a single season so far in his four-year career, and with more than 1,200 snaps at center over the past two seasons, Mays has the kind of experience to reassure Detroit of his dependability. What’s more impressive about Mays’ play over the past two seasons has been his stout play in pass blocking: just 21 pressures and zero sacks allowed across 756 pass-blocking snaps. Pro Football Focus has a pass blocking efficiency metric that measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed. Mays finished t-ninth among 35 qualifying centers with an EFF of 98.6. For reference, Linderbaum finished 30th in EFF (97.2), allowing 26 pressures and two sacks across 536 pass-blocking snaps in 2025.

If Detroit decides to prioritize experience and long-term viability at the position, Mays could be worth the investment it would take to sign the up-and-comer and fortify the middle of the Lions offensive line.

Rayshawn Jenkins, S

No position on the Lions roster felt the effects of the injury bug quite like the safety position in 2025. Heading into 2026, Detroit’s backend has a unique challenge ahead of them.

Brian Branch suffered a torn Achilles in Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys, putting the start of his 2026 season in jeopardy. Kerby Joseph, fresh off a massive contract extension, dealt with chronic knee issues through training camp before he was eventually sidelined for the season after Week 6. Despite Detroit getting solid contributions from veteran Avonte Maddox, the other safety spot was a revolving door of practice squad players whose inconsistent play certainly played a factor in the Lions surrendering the seventh-most explosive plays (154) on defense in 2025.

It’s hard to suss out what to expect here from Detroit with Branch and Joseph’s long-term outlook. Detroit has no problem taking their time in returning players from injury, that’s been proven time and time again, so it’s within reason to think Branch, who tore his Achilles in December, might not be ready for the start of the regular season in September. Is Kerby Joseph going to be playing football? The Lions certainly won’t be shelling out for a safety at the top of the market, but they’re going to need strike a sweet spot here: reliable veteran depth, comfortable playing special teams, but also needs to be a consistent player on defense for the time being with Branch and Joseph’s injuries.

Maddox is set to be a free agent, but he would be a welcome re-signing—and likely very affordable. Thomas Harper showed some promise filling in at free safety and moonlighting in the box. He even earned the praise of Holmes, who mentioned Harper first when asked how pressing the need at safety feels this offseason.

“[…] But I do think the guys stepped up, I did. I think that—I think we were able to claim a young (Lions S) Thomas Harper that’s going to be able to be—he’s played a lot obviously this year. That wasn’t the plan, but he did and did an admirable job. We know that he can play. He can be a depth role if needed, he can play special teams.”

Dan Jackson is another player back there for Detroit, but entering his second year without NFL experience makes him more of a developmental prospect than a player who the team should count on for defensive contributions from Week 1.

Rayshawn Jenkins, a safety most recently with the Browns, is the kind of veteran who would fit that unique sort of player Detroit will be looking for at safety: comfortable adjusting to role he’s given on a week-to-week basis, a respected football mind, and mentor to the younger players around him. Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda applauded Jenkins on his play and presence both on and off the field at the conclusion of this season:

Jenkins is positional versatile, playing all over the secondary from deep safety, into the box, and even in the slot. Mostly, he’s been used in the box to defend the run, and that’s where he’s been most impactful in his career. Here’s how he finished his last four seasons among safeties in PFF’s run-stop rate: t-16th (4.5%) in 2022, 25th (4.0%) in 2023, 51st (2.0%) in his lone season in Seattle during 2024, and sixth (5.8%) in his 71 run defense snaps with Cleveland this past season. Also, on special teams in 2025, Jenkins played 236 snaps in all four phases and earned a 90.1 grade, ranking 12th among 343 qualifying players.

Detroit could look to invest in the safety position in the draft this year, likely in the later rounds if the right prospect is there to provide for some contingency plans based on the health of their Pro Bowl safeties. But getting some more veteran and reliable depth could be key to keeping Detroit’s secondary from being as leaky against the run and pass in 2026.

Jonah Williams, OT

Another position that’s been stable, reliable, and among the best starting units in the NFL for the Lions since 2021 has been their pair of offensive tackles. Penei Sewell was named First-Team All Pro this season for the third consecutive season. On the other side, Taylor Decker has been as steady a player can be at left tackle since landing in Detroit in 2016. There’s a 2026 season where the Lions are unfortunately without Decker, and even though he’s shown some signs of wear over the years, replacing a player like him is easier said than done.

If there’s a position where Lions fans have been relatively spoiled with since Campbell and Holmes have taken over, it’s offensive tackle; teams have a hard enough time getting one, let alone two good-to-generational tackles on one offensive line. You rarely see the top players at offensive tackle move teams—just ask Joe Thomas—and you’re probably never going to see Penei Sewell play anywhere other than Detroit.

Decker’s final comments from the Lions locker room sounded a lot like a guy who has plenty to consider and sort out before he decides to continue playing football. It’s not just the physical toll it’s putting on his body, it’s the emotional and mental toll of prioritizing himself and his career over his family. Frank Ragnow’s retirement was a constant reminder, all season long, of how important it is to plan for the best but prepare for the worst.

Detroit’s hiring of Drew Petzing could provide for a reunion between the Lions new coordinator and an offensive tackle in six-year veteran in Jonah Williams.

Williams is a former first-round pick in 2019, and you know what that means: he’s had his share of ups and downs. For Williams, it’s been with two different teams. He requested a trade from the Bengals after they swapped him to the right side of their offensive line in favor of Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle. Cincinnati let him walk after a season where he allowed 41 pressures per PFF—tied for the 17th-most pressures allowed by an offensive tackle. He signed a two-year, $30 million deal with the Cardinals in 2024, but missed 19 games over the last two seasons due to injury. Prior to that, Williams had missed just two games from 2021-2023.

In his second season as a full-time right tackle, Williams only played in his six games and 343 snaps in 2024, he only allowed seven pressures and posted his season-best EFF (98.6%). Klayton Adams, the former offensive line coach for Arizona, was there for Williams’ first season with the Cardinals, but after becoming the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys, Williams—and the rest of the offensive line—took a considerable step back. Here’s how those two lines compared:

• 2024 Arizona Cardinals offensive line: t-9th in adjusted line yards, 10th-best in stuffed rate, and t-9th in adjusted sack rate
• 2025 Arizona Cardinals offensive line: 29th in adjusted line yards, 25th-best in stuffed rate, and t-28th in adjusted sack rate

There’s certainly a lot of factors playing into that steep of a drop-off from an entire unit, but that’s part of what will make it so interesting to see how the market will value Williams after his injured stay in the desert. That “former first-round pick” can be the surest way to spot someone shining up a player who hasn’t hit their stride in the NFL. But that doesn’t seem to be the case with Williams after watching some interviews. He still sounds motivated and committed to being part of an offensive line built on trust and high effort.

If Decker decides to hang it up, Williams could have the opportunity to get back to work with a respected offensive line coach in Hank Fraley and play alongside a promising right guard in Ratledge. One of the biggest factors, beyond Decker’s decision, will obviously be the price tag, a reasonable deal in the neighborhood of two years, $18-22 million with incentives for meeting playtime thresholds. That would roughly cost Detroit the money they’d be saving if Decker were to retire—$11.6 million—and buy them some time to continue Giovanni Manu’s development.

David Onyemata, IDL

The Lions have poured a lot of resources into the defensive line since Holmes and Campbell’s arrival in 2021, just not at the spot some Lions fans have wanted them to invest in. For at least the past two offseasons, upgrading the EDGE position opposite of Aidan Hutchinson has been at the forefront of roster discourse. Talking heads and fans alike have bemoaned Holmes’ plan to shore up that spot, going so far as to misattributing a quote actually said by Dan Campbell—“We’re good”—and pinning it on Holmes and his matter-of-fact attitude when it comes to that position. His comments from his end-of-the-year presser didn’t suggest his approach would change.

“Yeah, I mean it would be the same approach that we took last year in terms of the position wasn’t ignored in the draft,” Holmes said about EDGE. “It just didn’t come together like how we would have liked it to be from a draft standpoint.”

Conversely, bringing in interior defenders have been a point of emphasis. Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill were taken in the second and third rounds, respectively, in 2021. McNeill earned a mega-extension in 2024 worth $97 million, and Onwuzurike’s first season post-rookie contract was over before it even started with an ACL injury. Beyond that, Holmes moved multiple picks in 2023 to move up and take Brodric Martin in the third round, drafted Mekhi Wingo in the sixth round of 2024, and then, most recently, made Tyleik Williams the team’s first-round pick in 2025. Michael Brockers, DJ Reader, and Roy Lopez were other veterans brought in throughout the years.

There’s always the chance Reader and/or Lopez could return to the middle of Detroit’s defense, but both of them returning feels a bit redundant with what the team should be expecting to get out of Tyleik Williams in his second season. Entering his age 32 season, Reader could be a bit more on the expensive side for Detroit. Lopez, who turns 29 in August and had a very impressive season in Detroit last year, may have earned himself a pay day as well. If Detroit is looking to add a more cost-effective option, they could turn to veteran David Onyemata to fill in as a veteran depth piece.

Onyemata will turn 34 in November, but you’d be hard pressed to find tape from 2025 where it’s clear he was aging out of productive play. His ability to take on double teams in the run game and still make plays is something the Lions covet in their interior defenders, so Onyemata finishing t-15th among 143 qualifying defensive tackles in run stops (25) would be more than welcomed in Detroit. As a pass rusher, Onyemata’s alignment versatility (everything from a 1-tech to a 4-tech) makes him a piece that could work in any combination of the Lions’ defensive front. A rotation of McNeill, Williams, Onyemata, and returning Lopez could be an elite unit of interior defense.

Also, a connection to consider: five of Onyemata’s seven seasons with the Saints (2016-2022) overlapped with Campbell’s time as an assistant coach in New Orleans.