The Detroit Lions have been busy this offseason, but while some moves were expected, the most surprising was the release of Taylor Decker. Decker figured to be in the fold as the Lions’ left tackle when he announced his intent to return last month, but after the two sides reached a stalemate over salary, Decker requested and was granted his release.
The move threw the offensive line into turmoil, leading to the free agent signing of Larry Borom. But even as the Lions threw $5 million at Borom, many expect him to be a swing tackle more than a long-term solution.
In the meantime, his contract continues to look worse with each day, and with the way the market has played out, Borom looks like a massive overpay that will have to exceed expectations in his first year to make his salary worth it.
Larry Borom’s Contract Looks Worse By the Day as Free Agency Continues
The free agent market isn’t doing Borom any favors in his homecoming to Detroit. The class had several names that could have filled in for Decker, including Rasheed Walker and Braxton Jones. But outside of being a solid addition, they also came at a price point that was cheaper than the $14.9 million base salary Decker was slated for prior to his release, according to Spotrac’s free agent list.
Jones netted a one-year, $5 million contract to return to the Chicago Bears, and Chicago doubled up a few days later, signing Jedrick Wills to a one-year, $1.2 million contract with incentives to create competition at left tackle. Detroit reportedly hosted Wills for a free-agent visit and should've locked him in, especially at that price point.
Walker was an even safer addition as a three-year starter with the Green Bay Packers. After being projected for a contract north of $20 million per season, Walker settled for a one-year, $4 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. While that deal also includes incentives, it’s fair to wonder if the Lions overestimated each player’s market, or they didn’t get the memo that they could be had at that price.
This puts the magnifying glass on Borom. While he has appeared in 63 games and made 38 starts during his career, he’s never played at a starting level, averaging an overall grade of 57.7 and allowing 22 sacks with a 7.4% pressure rate in 1,456 career pass blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Even though his addition brings depth, it’s not enough to fill the shoes of Decker, and creates a big problem moving forward.
The Lions could go ahead and draft an offensive tackle and are currently projected to select Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor with the 17th overall pick in NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus mock draft. But this year’s draft has few prospects ready to step in from Day 1 and could force Detroit to lean on Borom for the opening portion of the season.
If Borom struggles, it could bring up the question as to why the Lions didn’t go for a better short-term solution at a similar price point. It could also get worse if the rookie Detroit tabs doesn’t acclimate to the NFL quickly, leaving the Lions’ scramble at left tackle to intensify as the season goes on.
Borom has already made a positive impression, but in a NFC North division that had two games separating the first-place Bears from the last-place Lions, decisions like this could play a key role. And it could have Detroit second-guessing their decision to bring Borom in over a more effective player.