Grading Detroit Lions Signing of OT Larry Borom

Lions add competitive depth at tackle after loss of Taylor Decker.

Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Larry Borom (79). | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions have made another addition to their offensive line.

On the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period, the Lions started the day by agreeing to a three-year deal with center Cade Mays. Later in the day, they doubled up on offensive line depth with the reported addition of Larry Borom.

A veteran who has played five NFL seasons, Borom is a Michigan native who played his high school ball at Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice. He has appeared in 63 games over his career, with 38 starts including 11 last year for the Miami Dolphins.

Detroit has now added offensive linemen at the center, guard and tackle positions since the offseason started. In addition to signing Mays and Borom, they acquired Juice Scruggs in a trade involving running back David Montgomery.

Borom played exclusively right tackle this past season in Miami, totaling 664 snaps. He earned a 60.7 overall offensive grade via Pro football Focus. He graded out better as a pass-blocker, with a 67.1 pass-blocking grade compared to a 54.4 run-blocking grade.

The Michigan native was fairly efficient in pass-protection this past season, allowing two sacks and 15 total pressures amidst 404 total pass-blocking snaps. He was penalized five times, and had a pass-blocking efficiency rating of 97.8 this season.

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Detroit entered free agency with a clear need up front, as they released two offensive linemen in center Graham Glasgow and offensive tackle Taylor Decker. Both players were starters on the offensive line, with Glasgow playing center last season and Decker holding the left tackle position for the last 10 years.

Detroit addressed the center need with Mays, and Borom figures to be a competitor for the tackle vacancy. Whether the Lions move All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell over to the left side or not remains to be seen, but regardless the team will need another starter to pair with him.

Borom's best season came in 2022 with the Bears, which was his second year in the league. That season, he earned a 64.7 overall offensive grade and a 69.9 mark as a pass-protector.

The Missouri product looks to be competitive depth with the potential to be an early season starter if the team doesn't elect to add a tackle in the draft, or if their selected prospect isn't ready to start right away.

Detroit could also still have hopes to develop Gio Manu into a starter at tackle. Manu, a fourth-round pick in 2024, has started one game in his two seasons with the team and missed a significant portion of last season with an injury.

Borom has some starting experience, with four years with the Chicago Bears preceding his time in Miami last season. As a result, he can be viewed as a potential stopgap solution for the Lions this season and competition for Manu and any other young tackle Detroit could potentially bring in.

One other area the Lions could utilize him in is their swing tackle role. Dan Skipper, who had held the role for the better part of the last four years, elected to retire and has since joined the Lions' coaching staff as an offensive assistant this offseason.

Detroit could also still target a tackle early in the draft, as this year’s crop of prospects at the position figures to be deep early. Potential options include Utah’s tandem of Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu and Clemson’s Blake Miller.

Overall, the Lions added quality depth in Borom, but he doesn't project as a game-breaking addition. He has the upside of a starter, but could wind up being simply depth if the team drafts a starting-caliber tackle early in this year's draft.

Grade: C+