Day 1 of Detroit Lions free agency will likely be most defined by the team’s losses rather than their gains. Detroit addressed their offensive line by agreeing to terms with former Panthers center Cade Mays and reserve tackle Larry Borom. Both of those additions certainly fill the team’s most-pressing needs, but a couple more needs have opened up after Detroit has failed to retain a few of their own.
Backup quarterback Kyle Allen is headed to Buffalo. Reserve nose tackle Roy Lopez is going back to the
Cardinals. Alex Anzalone is closer to his Florida family now that he’s agreed to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And Amik Robertson is taking his grit to the NFC East with the Washington Commanders. Detroit also cut Taylor Decker officially on Monday.
I’m not here to argue whether the Lions should have re-signed those players or not. While I’m sure Detroit would’ve more than welcomed them all back to the team, every single one of them got significant raises, and we know the Lions are working with significant budgetary limits.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Which Lions free agent loss was the biggest on Day 1?
My answer: If we’re including Taylor Decker, he’s the answer. Free agency won’t have an upgrade option for the Lions there—and Larry Borom should really only be considered startable depth, not a full-time option. Detroit will almost certainly have to draft an offensive tackle with a top-100 pick if they want to make sure their offensive tackle position doesn’t suffer a significant step back in 2026.
Outside of that, I’d pick Amik Robertson. With so many questions at the cornerback position (who will be the starting nickel? Is Terrion Arnold facing any legal implications and even if he avoids any, is he ready for a Year 3 jump? Where is Detroit’s depth?) Robertson would have been a nice insurance policy for both the outside and nickel positions. He is gritty, a willing run defender, and—at times—he was capable of going toe-to-toe with some of the best boundary receivers in the league. His price tag—two years, $16 million—was not only a huge raise for the player, but it was well beyond my estimates, so I get why Detroit let him walk. But as of right now, their cornerback room has more questions than answers, and I’m eager to see how general manager Brad Holmes plans to fix that.
Who do you believe was the Lions’ biggest loss in Day 1 of free agency? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
