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As the Detroit Lions hone in on the upcoming draft, here are five free agents they could sign before April 28.
The Detroit Lions were conservative in free agency, re-signing a long list of their own and making only small dips outside the organization. The draft is the focus of this building process, which is the right way to go and nine picks in this year’s draft (five of the top 100 picks) puts them in a good position to add a bevy of young talent.
But the roster build and a 3-13-1 season in 2021 means few jobs should be 100 percent secure, and the Lions need plenty of help at certain spots. The offseason program begins next week for the team, then the draft and any undrafted free agent signings will add more players to the offseason roster before full on-field OTAs.
At this point, there are still some notable names available in free agency. The Lions won’t be signing any of them though. That being said, there are still free agents who could be on their radar.
Here are five free agents the Lions could sign before the start of the draft on April 28.
5 free agents the Detroit Lions could sign before the 2022 NFL Draft
5. TE Darrell Daniels
2021 Team: Arizona Cardinals
The Lions signed Garrett Griffin, one of head coach Dan Campbell’s former pupils when he was the Saints’ tight ends coach. The mid-to-late rounds of the draft may bring someone into the mix at the position.
Griffin should not be guaranteed a roster spot based purely on his history with Campbell, and Detroit’s red zone woes were notable last year. Daniels doesn’t have much of a resume as a pass catcher, as he has played a lot special teams, but he did average over 11 yards a catch with Arizona in 2020.
Any backup tight end for the Lions has a certain role to fill. Daniels may be able to fill the role as a blocker, special teamer and occassional pass catcher far better than Griffin.