Lions GM Brad Holmes made it clear that Detroit is not done adding to their offensive line.
After the 2024 season concluded, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes promised he wouldn’t neglect the team’s offensive line, committing to keep one of the team’s biggest strengths a strength.
“That’s the engine for us, and so I don’t care how good we ever get on the offensive line, that one right there is too important for not only our team, our quarterback, everything,” Holmes said in January. “It’s our identity, man. So, I think just that alone is just – it’s always going to be at the forefront.”
However, after nearly a month of free agency, the Lions have seen more losses than gains at the position. While they were able to retain depth players in Nate Muti, Michael Niese, Kayode Awosika, and Dan Skipper, they ultimately lost starting right guard Kevin Zeitler to free agency. As of Monday, the Lions have not signed an external offensive lineman.
To many, his inaction was perceived as a vote of confidence in 2024 sixth-round pick Christian Mahogany, who started two games last year, including the team’s Divisional Round playoff game. In limited playing time, Mahogany did impress, earning a 91.5 PFF grade over a total of 144 snaps, split almost evenly between right and left guard.
But Holmes pumped the breaks a bit on Mahogany, hinting that the team may not be done adding to the interior offensive line room in free agency.
“It’s a small sample size of the starts that he played,” Holmes said. “They were promising, they were encouraging. We do feel like he has starter-level ability, but he is still a young player, so we still need to make sure that he has competition, and it’s part of—we bring (Ka)yode back and we’ll still be looking at possibly another veteran to add, and you still have the draft.”
While free agency has mostly dried up, there are still some starting-capable players out there. Former first-round pick Brandon Scherff is 33 years old and his best days are behind him, but he has 140 starts under his belt, and is just three seasons removed from his last Pro Bowl . Will Hernandez has also been a full-time starter since being drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft but is coming off a torn ACL suffered in early October.
The NFL Draft is also a logical place for the Lions to upgrade. Graham Glasgow, the other projected starter at guard, is 33 and entering the second season on a three-year deal with an easy out in 2025. And with the Lions paying top-end money at left tackle, right tackle, and center, the Lions could benefit from finding young, cheap talent in the NFL Draft.
This year’s draft is not short on interior offensive linemen, and the Lions could realistically take one as early as their first-round pick at 28th overall. Alabama’s Tyler Booker, North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel, and Ohio State ’s Donovan Jackson are all potential Day 1 options for Detroit, but there are plenty of Day 2 options, as well.
So you can expect the Lions to add at least one more offensive lineman before training camp begins.