Where Detroit Lions rank in offensive line investment among rest of NFL
Where Detroit Lions rank in offensive line investment among rest of NFL
The Detroit Lions sport one of the best offensive lines in the NFL going into the 2024 season, which is good news considering how much general manager Brad Holmes and Co. has invested in the unit.
According to Jason from Over The Cap, the Lions rank second in the NFL in total new money per year spent on offensive linemen. The figure sits at $78.1 million across 14 different players. Only the Philadelphia Eagles have spent more.
This offseason alone, the Lions extended guard Graham Glasgow with a three-year, $20 million deal, and they handed out a massive extension to right tackle Penei Sewell, who earned a four-year, $112 million deal.
In addition to those moves, the Lions shored up their other guard spot following the departure of Jonah Jackson in free agency by signing veteran Kevin Zeitler to a very reasonable one-year, $6 million deal.
In all, the Lions are returning four of their offensive line starters from last season in Sewell, Glasgow, Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker, and as we already mentioned, Zeitler will replace Jackson.
The 2023 group gave up just 31 sacks in 2023, tied for the fourth-fewest in the NFL, and Detroit owned the fifth-best rushing attack with 135.9 yards per contest.
Looking ahead to 2024, Decker is in the final year of his deal and is a candidate for an extension. Per Decker, the two sides have spoken but discussions were in the preliminary stages when he touched on the subject in April.
Holmes has stated the importance of having a strong offensive line, and he has certainly put his money where his mouth is.