With the recent release of Taylor Decker, the Detroit Lions created a huge hole on the left side of their offensive line. You probably already knew that.
The Lions aren't moving like they know it, though.
Detroit's gone out in free agency and done...an average job on the market. Cade Mays was a good signing, and they've added meaningful depth at tackle, quarterback, and running back. They've also brought back some key players, like Rock Ya-Sin and Malcolm Rodriguez, to add even more reliability to that depth.
But, a starting left tackle feels a lot more important than their activity lets on. This is Jared Goff's blindside we're talking about. Penei Sewell could, hypothetically, slide over to the left side of the line in a pinch, but would Detroit really want to throw the All-Pro RT off his game and his rhythm?
If they did want to avoid that problem, there's a huge name still left in free agency, and that's Rasheed Walker. The former left tackle for the Green Bay Packers would be a solid Decker replacement, but there's probably a huge hangup about his price and the length of any deal the 26 year old nets.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter at the 12-minute mark of this interview, that latter point might not be as great of a sticking point anymore:
“There were not a lot of teams in the left tackle market to begin with. There were only a few, like Cleveland, Detroit, a few others. What happened is there were not a lot of teams, and I think he’s now going to look to a one-year deal. A one-year deal to put himself in a good situation and go back into the market next year.”
Lions could still be in on Rasheed Walker if latest rumors are true
Walker had a bit of down year with the Packers, allowing five sacks, 34 total pressures, and generating nine penalties. A one-year deal could be something Walker uses for motivation to get back to speed as a more formidable pass-protector, and it'd be great for a cap-strapped Lions team looking to keep deals short and cheap.
We've previously eyed Walker for the Lions, with Lions writer Michael Colwander saying of Walker:
"Bringing in a guy who can provide similar pass blocking to Decker, but younger and without a lengthy injury history, is not a bad plan at all. Especially someone the Lions are already well familiar with via years of watching tape on the Packers' offense."
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It's fair to say he'd be a worthy investment given his age and familiarity with the NFC North, and it'd give Detroit an extra year to figure out what they're doing at the position long-term. This signing also wouldn't preclude them from taking a tackle at 17th overall or 50th overall in the upcoming draft. After all, they need to add to their depth at the position.
If their only competition is Cleveland, who are once again in full rebuild mode, it feels fair to assume Walker could be swayed towards a bigger, more competitive stage in Detroit. Being able to piece together a sound year with the Lions would probably mean the team is performing well enough for a postseason berth, which creates more opportunity for him to increase his future earnings.
As a reminder, the Lions are only working with $35 million in cap space cleared after restructuring Goff's contract. Once the smoke clears and free agents sign their deals with the team, that number is going to shrink. Another move would need to be in the works to clear up enough money to make something like this work.