The Detroit Lions knew coming into free agency that they would have to address the center spot after releasing veteran offensive lineman Graham Glasgow ahead of the legal tampering period, freeing up $5.5 million in cap space.
However, what the Lions didn’t have on their bingo card was trying to fill their starting left tackle spot, too. Detroit thought Taylor Decker was coming back for an 11th season, as he announced on social media at the end of February. But the Lions reportedly wanted the veteran left tackle to take a pay cut, ultimately leading to his release on March 9.
Losing quarterback Jared Goff’s blindside protector is less than ideal, considering that the free-agent left tackle market wasn’t great to begin with. However, names such as Rasheed Walker, Vederian Lowe, or Jedrick Wills Jr. would’ve been a nice stopgap option.
Detroit GM Brad Holmes had other plans, though, instead signing veteran Larry Borom to a one-year, $5 million deal.
Lions Fumbling Left Tackle Market Could Come Back to Haunt Them
Borom, who is a Detroit native, is more of a swing tackle than a potential every-down starter. Even though Borom has made 38 starts over his five-year career between Miami and Chicago, his pass protection skills have been less than stellar. According to Pro Football Focus, Borom has given up 22 sacks with 7.4% pressure rate across 1,456 pass blocking snaps.
That being said, is Borom a better option than Giovanni Manu, who still looks a ways away from being a starting-caliber left tackle? Yes, but Borom is nowhere near Decker. It’s clearly levels to left tackle play.
Last season, Decker recorded a 69.5 pass blocking grade (45th among 89 qualified LTs), while allowing 33 pressures, two sacks, and being penalized five times in 551 pass blocking snaps. Speaking of left tackle play, the Lions’ miscalculation of the tackle market backfired on them, as they watched the ex-Green Bay Packer get a cheaper deal on paper.
Walker, who was expected to get this massive multi-year deal in free agency, had to settle for a one-year, $4 million contract ($3.12 million guaranteed) with the Carolina Panthers. That deal is slightly cheaper than what Borom got.
And one could argue that, even though Walker is coming off a down year, his upside is still worth a flier, as he just turned 26 in February. According to PFF, Walker had a 70.0 pass blocking grade, but a 55.4 run blocking grade.
Additionally, Walker gave up 34 pressures, five sacks, but was penalized nine times across 986 offensive snaps. Who's to say that the Lions couldn’t get Walker back on track for a year? If he turned it around, maybe Detroit re-signs him, or gets a comp pick in return?
Along with Walker, the Lions also saw Jedrick Wills sign a cheap one-year, $1.2 million deal with the Chicago Bears, who needed left tackle depth. The Lions hosted Wills for a visit, but weren’t able to close the deal, and now their division rivals might get to reap the rewards.
Wills comes with his own concerns, as he missed the entire 2025 season while rehabbing and recovering from previous injuries. However, if he’s healthy, that’s a former first-round pick who is still 26 years old and would’ve fit in with the Lions’ core.
There's No Turning Back
That's not the reality the Lions live in right now, though. They will either run with Borom at left tackle, draft a rookie to protect Goff’s blindside, or consider moving Penei Sewell to the left side and let Borom hold down the right side, which is something that Holmes has discussed.
Needless to say, the next several weeks will be interesting in the Motor City, as they need their offensive play to be playing at a high level and on the same accord to get back to the top of the NFC North.