The Detroit Lions will enter the 2026 offseason with a chip on their shoulder. Detroit missed the playoffs in 2025 after finishing the regular season 9-8. Dan Campbell understands that it is hard to sustain success in the NFL. That should give Lions fans hope that their team will put in a lot of hard work this offseason to improve the team.
Unfortunately, that will be much easier said than done.
Detroit enters the offseason $8.53 million over the salary cap. GM Brad Holmes will have to rework a few contracts, and likely make some cuts, to give the Lions enough cap space to make some moves this spring.
Holmes has not historically spent a lot of cap space during free agency. Instead, he prefers to grow the team's talent through the draft.
But could the Lions make an exception this offseason?
Below we will explore three sneaky good free agents who the Lions should pursue during NFL free agency this offseason.
Could Yetur Gross-Matos be Detroit's next Marcus Davenport?
Lions fans may not like the title of this section, but hear me out.
There's a reason why Detroit has gone back to the Marcus Davenport well multiple times. The Lions want a large, physical defensive end who can play opposite of Aidan Hutchinson on early downs. That has made Davenport an ideal fit at 6-foot-6, 285 pounds.
However, Davenport will turn 30 years old during the 2026 season. His age, paired with his extensive injury history, should not make him an appealing candidate for Detroit to re-sign. Especially when working on a budget this offseason.
Perhaps Yetur Gross-Matos is the next best thing.
Gross-Matos has similar size to Davenport, but is a bit smaller at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds. He also shares many of the same strengths as Davenport.
The upside is that Gross-Matos will be only 28 years old for the 2026 season. He's also proven to be much more available than Davenport throughout his professional career.
Gross-Matos did miss a few months in 2025 after undergoing knee surgery. He also dealt with some setbacks after returning in late December. Still, all of this pales in comparison to how much time Davenport has missed throughout his career.
Spotrac projects that Gross-Matos could command $3.5 million on a one-year contract this offseason.
I think the Lions should essentially give Davenport's roster spot to Gross-Matos and hope that it is an improvement.
Personally, I think there's a high chance that Gross-Matos would, at worst, match what Detroit has been getting from Davenport over the past two years.
The Lions could use an offensive lineman like Sean Rhyan
The Lions have made great use out of veteran Graham Glasgow. One of Glasgow's biggest strengths is his ability to play both center and guard.
However, Glasgow is now 34 years old and did not look great during the 2025 season. What's more, the Lions could save $5.56 million in cap space by cutting Glasgow. That makes him a prime cut candidate for Detroit this offseason.
But what if the Lions could replace Glasgow with a younger player?
Packers center Sean Rhyan could be that player.
Rhyan has all the tools needed to replace Glasgow on Detroit's o-line. Most importantly, he has positional flexibility. He played most of the 2025 season at center, but stepped in and played significant snaps at right guard in five games.
Rhyan will turn 26 years old early in the 2026 season, which puts him squarely in the prime of his career. Spotrac has Rhyan's value at $6.5 million per year.
If the Lions could sign him on a three-year contract worth ~$20 million, they should jump at the opportunity.
This move should not prevent the Lions from finding a long-term answer at center either.
Nick Cross would be a big-time addition to Detroit's secondary
If the Lions really want to make a splash, they should make a run at a safety like Nick Cross.
Detroit will immediately need some reinforcements at safety to start the 2026 season. Both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are coming off major injuries, which has their availability for Week 1 already in question. I'm especially worried about Branch, who tore his Achilles in December.
Even in the best-case scenario, the Lions will be forced to lean heavily on depth to start the season.
But what if the Lions decided to make a big investment in the position?
If Detroit added Cross, he could be a long-term contributor at safety. There's even a world where Cross, Joseph, and Branch can all get on the field at the same time.
Cross is an athletic strong safety who has played well for the Colts over the last two seasons. He logged 70+ tackles in each of the past two seasons and made multiple splash plays like sacks and interceptions.
I love the idea of Cross filling in for Branch at strong safety, allowing Branch to slide down and play nickel. Detroit could also deploy three-safety sets if they add Cross.
But the 24-year-old safety is easily the most expensive player on this list. Spotrac estimates that Cross could command $6.1 million per season, putting a potential four-year contract in the ballpark of $24.5 million.
Cross is certainly worth the money, which makes the question whether or not Detroit will be able to afford him.
