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Marvin Jones and Haloti Ngata aside, the Detroit Lions had a pretty quiet opening day of free agency. While Detroit was waiting in the wings, teams like the Jaguars, Giants, Eagles and Dolphins flexed their muscles, pulling in the big names for big cash. But now that the dust has settled on an expectedly crazy Wednesday, here are some players left that the Lions can still go after.
Offensive tackle:
- Russell Okung - The Seattle Seahawks are making a run to re-sign the former sixth overall pick. Okung is a former Pro Bowl left tackle, but he comes with an injury history and likely a big price tag.
- Donald Penn - Though Penn will turn 33 next month, he can still be an anchor on the left side of the line. According to Pro Football Focus, Penn has graded out as a top 10 tackle in the past two seasons. Penn wants to retire a Raider, but no signing appears to be imminent.
- Kelvin Beachum - Beachum is coming off an ACL tear, and that may have scared teams away in Day 1 of free agency, but if he gets fully healthy by the start of the season, he would be a huge pickup.
Safety
- Eric Weddle - With an already thinned safety market, the Lions may have to go veteran for a starting safety. Weddle is already 31 and showing some signs of decline. However, he's a three-time Pro Bowler and will still command money on the open market.
- Reggie Nelson - The Lions missed out on George Iloka, but could still land his counterpart in Nelson. Nelson actually outgraded Iloka according to PFF's stats, but he's already 32-years old, leaving his best days behind him.
- Husain Abdullah - Abdullah was a full-time starter for the Chiefs in 2014, but was relegated to a rotational role last season. He's also getting up there in age (30) and his career stats are underwhelming (just six career interceptions), but if desperate, the Lions could settle.
- Louis Delmas - A man with an underused Delmas jersey can wish, can't he?
Linebacker
- James Laurinaitis - With Stephen Tulloch gone (though not officially released yet), Travis Lewis signed elsewhere and Tahir Whitehead likely on the move, the Lions are in desperate need for linebacker help. Laurinaitis could jump in immediately and start at middle linebacker, leaving DeAndre Levy to play where he's best: on the outside. However, James is 29 and has also had some issues in coverage lately.
- Zach Brown - A former second-round pick, Brown fell out of favor in Tennessee and lost his starting job in 2015. But Brown, at just 26 years old, showed flashes during his four years with the Titans. Pro Football Focus even listed him as one of the top bargains in this year's free agency pool, because of his excellent coverage skills.
- Danny Lansanah - If the Lions are happy going into the draft with Levy and Josh Bynes as the two starting linebackers, Lansanah could provide some veteran depth and rotational playing time. Lansanah was not offered a restricted free agent tender from the Buccaneers. Though at age 30, he wouldn't provide much help on special teams. However, Lansanah has proven he can still make some game-changing plays, tallying three interceptions, two forced fumbles, 12 passes defended and 2.5 sacks over the past two seasons.