The Detroit Lions are not expected to make any more significant additions to the roster before training camp. The front office clearly feels good about where the roster is right now, and they want to see it together over the summer before writing any more checks. This doesn't mean, however, that the roster is complete and there won't be minor tweaks.
There are still a couple of areas that need more depth. Near the top of the list is the interior defensive line. After the departures of DJ Reader and Roy Lopez, the Lions may not be as deep there as they were last season. They hope to fill this hole with the emergence of Tyleik Williams and the return of Levi Onwuzurike, but Lions fans would be right to be skeptical about the overall talent of the position.
Super Bowl-winning DT may be what the Lions are looking for
That is why it behooves GM Brad Holmes & Co. to bring in more competition at defensive tackle. The market is bereft of starter-level talent at this stage of the offseason, but there are still a couple of capable backups.
Among those is Greg Gaines. The 30-year-old defensive tackle spent the last three seasons in Tampa Bay. He didn't necessarily set the world on fire with the Buccaneers, but he was a very reliable and competent backup. That is exactly what Detroit needs in their DT room.
Gaines missed only two games in his three seasons in Tampa Bay. He started nine games in the meantime. He played nearly 40% of the team's defensive snaps, putting up four sacks, 11 QB hits, and five tackles for loss across three seasons. Before then, Gaines was a starter with the Rams, winning a Super Bowl. With nine playoff games under his belt, Gaines would be the most experienced defensive tackle in the Lions' rotation.
Most importantly, he would fill a need for the Lions. There is no clear nose tackle in the rotation for Detroit. Earlier in his career, Gaines played most of his snaps in LA as a nose tackle. Coincidentally, those were also the best seasons of his career, per Pro Football Focus, receiving a defensive grade over 65 in three of his four campaigns there.
He may no longer be the same player, but he was still a part of a very solid run defense in Tampa Bay over the last three seasons. That may be enough for the Lions to give him a shot this summer to see how much gas he has left in the tank.
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