Remaining Low Cost NFL Free Agents Who Lions Must Sign

The Detroit Lions have been active in free agency throughout the first week of the new league year.

Over the first week, the Lions have spent their efforts adding veteran reinforcements mostly on one-year deals. General manager Brad Holmes focused his efforts mostly on the offensive line and secondary, but has added supplementary players across the board.

With many of the top free agents off the board, the Lions may be more inclined to add more low-cost players to help round out their roster prior to the NFL draft.

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Here are three low cost free agents who could help the Lions in 2026.

DT Calais Campbell

The Lions are relatively thin on the interior of their defensive line, even after re-signing Myles Adams on Thursday. They lost Roy Lopez to the Arizona Cardinals, and to this point have elected to not reunite with DJ Reader.

As a result, Campbell might be a veteran option who would play multiple roles for Detroit. At age-39, Campbell is not a player who will play every down in Detroit. Rather, he would be a rotational option and also have the ability to serve as a mentor for Detroit's young talent such as 2025 first-round pick Tyleik Williams.

Even with his status as one of the oldest active players, Campbell has proven to be one of the most durable. He managed 6.5 sacks for the Cardinals last season, and has 117 for his career. Campbell could bring some serious leadership as well as give the team more interior depth for the 2026 season.

EDGE Joe Tryon

The Lions added a defensive end earlier in the week with their signing of D.J. Wonnum. While Wonnum will be a helpful addition, he has not been the most productive in pass-rush situations. This means the Lions could be inclined to find a low-cost rotational pass-rusher.

Detroit had some success with Al-Quadin Muhammad in a designated pass-rusher role last season, as the veteran broke out with 11 sacks. With Muhammad gone to Tampa Bay, the Lions could find a veteran like Tryon who has had some success.

In five NFL seasons, Tryon has 15 career sacks. He has shown some upside, such as a five-sack season in 2023. He had a bumpy 2025 campaign with zero sacks, but he was traded at midseason and struggled with consistency after being dealt. Working opposite of Aidan Hutchinson could also lead to better performance.

OL Ben Bartch

The Lions have shown some interest in Bartch, as he visited the team earlier this week. Detroit has already been quick to address the offensive line, but adding another veteran will bring more competition to the interior line.

Currently, the Lions have two incumbent starters at guard in Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge. However, both are still young with Mahogany entering his third year and Ratledge entering his second.

The Lions have Juice Scruggs penciled in as the top backup, whom they've acquired in the David Montgomery trade. Also in the mix to compete for snaps is 2025 draft pick Miles Frazier, who got a taste of action after missing most of the beginning of the year.

If Detroit were to bring in Bartch, it would give them another starting caliber lineman who has made 24 starts in their career. He would be another viable candidate to start at guard, which would benefit the offensive line and the team as a whole.

Other players to monitor

DE Joey Bosa
TE Will Dissly
OL Trevor Penning
S Ifeatu Melifonwu
OL Jack Conklin