Detroit Lions top 10 NFL free agent fits: Here's who Brad Holmes should go after
The annual thinning of NFL free agency is underway, with top 2024 players such as Chris Jones and Jaylon Johnson landing new long-term deals, and teams franchising others such as Brian Burns and L’Jarius Sneed.
Sneed still may be available via trade, and more players will come off the market with midnight deals, like the ones the Detroit Lions have struck with Alex Anzalone and Tracy Walker the past two springs.
What will general manager Brad Holmes, coach Dan Campbell and the crew do this time around?
With the free agent negotiating period set to open at noon Monday, here are the 10 best free agent fits for the Lions still on the market.
DT Christian Wilkins, Miami Dolphins
Wilkins is the best non-quarterback free agent, a tick above the next player on this list because he’s a year younger (28) and more durable (three straight years of starting all 17 games). He had a career-high nine sacks last season, and would team with Alim McNeill to give the Lions one of the best interior defensive lines in the NFL.
EDGE Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings
Hunter finished fifth in the NFL with 16½ sacks last season and seems to have moved past the neck problems that cost him the 2020 season. He has terrorized Lions quarterbacks for most of his nine years in Minnesota and would immediately transform the pass rush playing opposite Aidan Hutchinson. At a minimum, the Lions should be happy if he flees the division.
DAVE BIRKETT: Predicting what happens to Lions 16 unrestricted free agents: Who stays and who goes
G Robert Hunt, Miami Dolphins
The Lions’ needs at guard will be acute if both Jonah Jackson and Graham Glasgow leave in free agency. Hunt is the best interior lineman on the market and played at a Pro Bowl-level last year, though he missed the better part of seven games with a hamstring injury. He’d start at right guard and, alongside Penei Sewell, would give the Lions the best right side of an offensive line in football.
G Michael Onwenu, New England Patriots
Onwenu ranks higher than Hunt on most free agent lists. He’s 26, has seen time at both guard spots and right tackle, and is a Detroit native, going to Cass Tech and Michigan. I put him behind Hunt because he’ll likely command more money in free agency, but there’s lots to like about Onwenu.
EDGE Jonathan Greenard, Houston Texans
Greenard, 26, had a career year at the right time, logging 12½ sacks in 15 games as the Texans’ every-down right end last season. He’s considered an ascending player, and like Hunter, would give the Lions’ pass rush a major jolt. He’ll also be making a lot of money for someone without a long track record.
CB Stephon Gilmore, Dallas Cowboys
Difference-making cornerbacks don’t make it to free agency, which is why the thought of a Sneed trade is so enticing. There may be other corners available in the trade market, including Marshon Lattimore and Greg Newsome II, but if the Lions want to take care of their need in free agency, Gilmore is the best combination of proven production and price.
CB Kendall Fuller, Washington Commanders
Fuller is probably the best cornerback on the market, but he’s 29 years old and gave up a 120.4 passer rating against last year, according to Pro Football Reference. He’ll command a longer, pricier contract than Gilmore, which makes him more of a risk. A note: Miami's Xavien Howard won’t become a free agent until he’s released Wednesday, but he’d slot in this vicinity, too.
DE Dorance Armstrong, Dallas Cowboys
He’s not as big a name as some of the other pass rushers on this list, but Armstrong played well against the Lions last season, and is a solid run defender. He has 16 sacks over the past two seasons as a rotational end, won’t break the bank and is younger (26) than another player I considered for this list, the Tennessee Titans’ Denico Autry, who has ties to new Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams.
G Connor Williams, Miami Dolphins
Williams, 26, seems a bit overlooked in free agency. He has started games at all three interior line positions in his career. He is returning from a torn ACL — the second of his career — so there are injury concerns. But the Lions need to prioritize their offensive line, and Williams could be an important addition, as Glasgow was last year.
EDGE Bryce Huff, New York Jets
Huff, 25, is similar to Greenard in that he had more sacks last year (10) than he did his first three NFL seasons combined (7½), though he has never been an every down player (zero starts the past two seasons). If he was a better run defender he’d rank higher, but he’s too good a pass rusher to ignore entirely.
TRACKING: Lions free agency rumors: Latest updates and analysis
Next five to watch
CB Chidobe Awuzie, Cincinnati Bengals
CB Steven Nelson, Houston Texans
DE Denico Autry, Tennessee Titans
DT D.J. Reader, Cincinnati Bengals
WR Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Top 10 NFL free agent fits left for Detroit Lions in thinning market
