Photo Credit: Steph Chambers/Getty Images.

NFL free agency is right around the corner, and the Lions have quite a few needs going in. Legal tampering opens today at 12pm EST, which could change some things going into official free agency on Wednesday. We already covered Quarterback and Running back here, Wide Receivers and Tight Ends here, and Offensive Line here. Next up; Defensive Line.

After going 9-8 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2022, Detroit is in a unique spot with roster construction, having the overall talent to contend, but falling short. They have a top-20 pick, and could have more than enough money to fill the holes, given a few restructures.

For this simulation, the Lions will restructure Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St Brown, Alim McNeill, and Penei Sewell, clearing up just over $91 million. We were able to do this with the ‘Be A GM’ mode on the new ‘Stick To The Model’ website https://sticktothemodel.com/?via=MFN. Use our code MFN2026 to save! This leaves the Lions sitting at about $82 million, before the rookie class.

This does not mean the Lions will spend $80 million, but that they have some wiggle room to make a few deals. As aforementioned, the Lions have holes, and free agency is the best way to get immediate impact players, which the Lions need.

While the defensive line is pretty set in terms of starters, Detroit could certainly still use a starter at EDGE and depth in general. Luckily, there should be a solid group available in free agency this year.

Defensive Tackle:

Holmes has done a decent job of fixing the interior defensive line in his time in Detroit, with multiple draft picks and big free agent signings like DJ Reader. Unfortunately though, some of those picks didn’t work out, and Reader has likely played his last snap as a Lion. I could see some potential that Reader returns for the right price, but we will have to see. Roy Lopez is also a free agent, and I expect the Lions to bring him back, but he may have priced himself out of town with his play last year. Either way, the Lions will need help on the interior of the defense. I don’t think they will go out spending big, seeing as McNeill has a large contract and Tyleik Williams was a first round pick in last year’s draft to replace Reader. However, depth is always needed, and the Lions lost the trenches too often last year.

The Pick: Tim Settle.
Settle, 28, is a perfect option for the Lions to add to the defensive line room. Only playing 12 games last year before injuring his neck, he was among the best run stopping defensive tackles in the league during the month of October, per PFF. He ended the year with a 71.3 overall grade, 77.1 run defense grade, and a 79.9 pass rush grade, all ranking relatively high among defensive tackles. He was a big part of Houston’s fast, attacking defense. I believe Settle could be similar to the Lopez signing last year, relatively cheap, young, and will play better than most expect. He is also projected to get just over $3 million per year, per Spotrac. This would be a no-brainer in my opinion considering his potential in a rotation, and affordability.
HM: Shelby Harris, Greg Gaines, Foley Fatukasi, Logan Hall.

Defensive End:

The Lions have needed to fill the edge opposite Hutchinson since he was drafted, and they have not quite gotten it done yet. Luckily, they will have multiple options to choose from, whether it be free agency or draft. If the Lions want to spend big (they don’t) they would likely add Trey Hendrickson in free agency. With that said, the Lions will have the option to fill this need however they’d like.

The Pick: Boye Mafe.

Spending his entire career in Seattle, the 27 year old edge will hit the market for the first time in his career, and I expect him to leave Seattle. He is known as a twitchy, speed to power pass rusher who has the ability to set the edge in the run game, which the Lions prefer. Mafe did have a bit of a down year in 2025, having just 2 total sacks and 31 total tackles, down from his career best 9.0 sacks and 52 tackles in 2023. He also saw his play time diminish, playing around just 50% of total snaps for Seattle, which should bring down his asking price. Regardless, I think Mafe has the athletic traits, as well as ability against the run to fit well alongside Hutchinson. He also has a relatively low market value, projected to get $12 million per year, per Spotrac. Which may seem like a bit much, but I would expect more of a ‘prove it’ deal, with high incentives based on play time and production. I think he would be an affordable option, that could actually make a very big impact on our defense. Either way you slice it, Detroit has options, whether it be free agency or the draft.
HM: Joey Bosa, Dre’Mont Jones, DJ Wonnum, Joseph Ossai.

With legal tampering opening today, some of these names may be off the list rather fast, we will keep an eye out.

We will be posting linebacker and defensive backs today as well. Stay tuned for our next installment of the series!

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