The Detroit Lions have experienced a lot of changes since they shockingly failed to make the postseason in 2025. A lot of that movement has taken place on the offensive line as veteran tackle Larry Borom was signed to a one-year, $5 million deal following the surprise release of Taylor Decker.
Borom, the 2021 fifth-round pick out of Missouri, spent his first four seasons with the Chicago Bears before a one-year stint with the Miami Dolphins last season. Instead of looking for an immediate solution to fill the void left behind by Decker, the Lions took a swing on Borom and could experience buyer's remorse with his contract.
Not only is he nowhere near the talent level of Decker at this stage of his career, but when you zoom out and look at the overall market, Detroit appears to be taking a huge risk that Borom can exceed expectations and make its gamble to sign him one worth taking.
Lions may regret Larry Borom signing
While the Lions could have pursued other veteran additions like Rasheed Walker, Braxton Jones, or Jedrick Wills, to name a few, they ultimately whiffed and let them sign similar deals with other teams. Detroit did elect to draft OT Blake Miller out of Clemson with the 17th overall pick, but its decision to let some of the more proven veterans slip past its fingertips certainly raises some doubt.
Borom is currently listed behind Miller on the depth chart, but it would not be out of the question if he earns the starting role to allow the rookie more time to develop and get accustomed to the league. Furthermore, although Borom has started 38 of the 63 games that he has appeared in, his performance has never stood out and given the sense of a proven week-to-week starter in the NFL.
According to Pro Football Focus, Borom's overall grade (60.7) was ranked 64th out of 89 qualified tackles last season. Furthermore, his pass block grade (67.1) was not much better at 51st, and his run blocking (54.4) left even more to be desired in 76th. On top of that, PFF also notes that Borom allowed 15 total pressures in pass protection and was penalized five times over the course of the 2025 season.
Those grades alone do not entirely reflect a player's performance on the field, but the fact that each of them is below-average suggests how much of a risk is involved with Borom's contract. The Lions are also coming off a season in which quarterback Jared Goff was sacked a career-high 38 times, so improving the pass protection is crucial to them returning to the playoffs and reasserting themselves in NFC North contention.
With that in mind, there is potential there with the Detroit native, who has expressed his excitement to play at home. He also wasted no time making an early impression when he first arrived in the Motor City with his toughness and team-first approach, not to mention the experience he brings to a mostly unknown depth chart at the position.
The Borom signing may work out for the better, and his experience could prove to be vital to an OL that desperately needs a turnaround from last season. However, there was an opportunity for the Lions to make another move for a more proven player instead of taking a risk on someone like Borom, especially with the unknowns surrounding their line of scrimmage already.
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