In free agency and the 2026 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions need to figure out how to improve their offensive line depth during this offseason.
The injury bug struck the Lions hard at several places along the line, with starters Christian Mahogany, Taylor Decker, and Graham Glasgow all missing time here and there. In Glasgow, his future is somewhat unclear because he might be a cap casualty. If that occurs, the Lions may be able to shift Tate Ratledge from right guard to center.
However, this leaves an opening at right guard, and the prospect of re-signing Kayode Awosika to start there or Trystan Colon is not ideal. Additionally, Miles Frazier could be tried out at that location by the Lions, however that might be too much for him.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Detroit Lions are fortunate that veteran offensive lineman James Daniels is officially available in the market following his release from the Miami Dolphins on Monday.
The Lions might gain more depth from the dolphins’ new OL release.
Daniels, who is 28 years old, spent the three seasons before with the Pittsburgh Steelers before signing a three-year, $24 million contract with Miami last offseason. Because of a pectoral injury Daniels sustained in Week 1, he only made one start at right guard for the Dolphins this past season.
We never saw the seasoned offensive lineman in a Miami uniform again after the Dolphins promptly put him on injured reserve.
Daniels has started in a total of five games during the previous two years and has had difficulty maintaining his health. Before suffering a torn Achilles injury in his last season with the Steelers, Daniels participated in four contests. The Lions may be cautious about going after him, given that they saw the injury bug decimate the starters and backups this year.
However, because the Lions’ salary cap may be limited, they may be able to sign Daniels to a low one-year contract to evaluate whether he is worth retaining.
Last offseason, GM Brad Holmes gave out a number of one-year contracts, some of which worked out, such as those for Rock Ya-Sin and Avonte Maddox. However, players like Marcus Davenport and Awosika didn’t have much of an effect.
However, the Lions’ offseason will be intriguing to watch. On both sides, they have obvious requirements that must be addressed. Detroit should attempt to address some of those gaps by utilizing free agency. But in the event that someone like Daniels doesn’t work out, they must knock it out of the park in the draft.
