Riley Reiff and Larry Warford have already found new homes after the Detroit Lions let them hit free agency. Defensively, however, none of their free agents had been signed by another team... until now. Defensive tackle Stefan Charles is expected to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars:
#Jaguars also expected to sign DT Stefan Charles (6-5/302) today. Spent last year with Detroit.
— Ryan O'Halloran (@ryanohalloran) March 11, 2017
Charles joined the Lions in 2016 after a stint with the Bills and a few years in the CFL. Coaches spoke very highly of Charles during his time with the Lions, though he racked up just 12 tackles in 12 games. Charles was the definition of a rotational piece, but he oftentimes wasn’t even part of the defensive gameplan. He sat out several games as a healthy scratch and didn’t really seem to make much of an impact outside of a big defensive stop against the Rams.
The Lions inked Akeem Spence to a three-year deal earlier in free agency, making Charles extremely expendable. Spence is expected to take over that rotational role, although the Lions are still looking for a defensive tackle that could take the bulk of snaps in the middle of the defensive line.