6 Free Agents to Watch For in Playoffs This Weekend
While there is not much to cheer for in the playoffs if you are a Detroit Lions fan, there is still something for Lions fans to watch for -- specifically six players.
There are six players on the eight remaining playoff teams that could make a world of difference for the "Silver and Blue," and that is because these six players will soon be free agents.
If the Lions were to get one, two or all six of these guys, it could be Detroit fans turning on their televisions to cheer on their team in mid-January of next year.
1.) Buffalo Bills LB Matt Milano - 6'0, 223 pounds; Grade: A
He is the Bills' most dynamic defensive player. After spending time on IR this past season with a torn pectoral injury, he is back.
He is a tough, aggressive and athletic, sideline-to-sideline, high-octane player. He can also create pressure blitzing, and is able to effectively drop into coverage.
Milano delivers the kind of bone-jarring hits that would snap the Lions' linebacking play out of the coma it has been in. Grab some popcorn and enjoy.
2.) Green Bay Packers CB Kevin King - 6-foot-3, 200 pounds; Grade: A
King would be the perfect complement to Jeff Okudah.
Despite the injury bug, to me, he is worth rolling the dice on. King has that playmaker feel to him, and in a sea of players, he stood out to me.
King has good playing speed and above average athletic ability. And while receivers who can break off routes crisply can beat him, he has the ability to undercut routes.
King brings a real physical presence to the position. He battles, fights and contests for the ball. He has this presence that would instantly make the Lions better, if they were to be lucky enough to acquire him.
3.) Green Bay Packers TE Marcedes Lewis - 6-foot-6, 267 pounds; Grade: B
Lewis has been in the shadows the past couple of seasons. And while he is getting longer in the tooth at 36 years old, he is a complete tight end who still has more football left in him.
Pairing him with young Pro Bowl TE T.J. Hockenson would create nightmares for opposing defenses.
Lewis is a big, athletic target with dependable hands who can get real movement as a run-blocker.
Lewis is like having a sports car you can tow your boat behind. He can do it all.
Lewis runs with the football after catching a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jeff Hanisch, USA TODAY Sports
4.) Cleveland Browns WR Rashard Higgins - 6-foot-1, 198 pounds; Grade: B
He struck me as a Desmond Howard type in terms of his body type and the way he looked lining up. He looked like a veteran, even as a rookie back in 2017.
He is more quick than fast, but he has a real knack for getting open and he has decent hands.
This past regular season, he had modest numbers while playing in the shadows of Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. But, make no mistake, there is a real synergy between him and Baker Mayfield.
Higgins is a good option in the slot, if Danny Amendola moves on.
5.) Cleveland Browns DT Larry Ogunjobi - 6-foot-3, 305 pounds; Grade: B
Ogunjobi is a very intriguing interior defensive lineman who has some explosiveness to his game, and he fights like heck to make plays against the run. He is a fighter and a high energy player.
In my 2017 scouting report on him, I wrote that “he has it.”
I thought he had a ton of upside from the first time I saw him, and he can get to the quarterback, too.
Ogunjobi would bring a real presence inside to the Lions' defensive line.
6.) Cleveland Browns K Cody Parkey - 6’0, 190 pounds; Grade: B
Who could forget the scene. There was 0:10 left on the clock, with the Eagles leading the Bears, 16-15, in an NFC wild card game from the 2018 season.
Chicago kicker Cody Parkey came onto the field to attempt the game-winning kick from 43 yards out. The kick went up, and it hit the left upright -- NO GOOD!
After receiving death threats after that miss, Parkey is now back in the league and kicking for the Browns.
This past regular season, he had a field goal percentage of 86.4 percent. And if Matt Prater leaves Motown, Parkey is a very real option to replace him.
The playoffs are a time for fans to dream of winning it all.
And if the Lions can sign any of these six players, that dream will be more of a reality in Detroit a season from now. It’s certainly worth tuning in for.
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