Detroit Lions

Four Detroit Lions Free Agents the Club Must Re-sign

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:03 p.m. ET

Fansided, Tony Fischer/FanSided via SideLion Report

Now that the last light has been turned out at Ford Field for 2016 it is time to start breaking down the roster and find out what improvements can be made for 2017. The Detroit Lions have just over $46 million in cap to spend in 2017. As good as some position groups were in 2016 there are plenty of holes to fill and they need to spend that cap wisely. Spending the cap wisely can be tricky. Often the best use of the money is to spend it on players already familiar to the team. This post will look at four players on the Detroit Lions free agents list that the Lions should make a priority to re-sign in 2017.

#1 Larry Warford

Probably the most important of the Detroit Lions free agents, Larry Warford had the best season since his rookie campaign of 2013. Warford is finally starting to live up to the promise he showed when he first donned the Honolulu Blue and Silver. He earned a #22 overall position rank from Pro-Football focus and although he was banged up, he only missed one game in 2016.

It looks like Warford can be the presence in the middle the Lions have been looking for to help the interior running game. He ranked 16th among guards this season in run blocking and was on the field for the most snaps since 2013.

The Detroit Lions offensive line had one of their better seasons in recent memory. Part of that success is he chemistry that has been built over the last few seasons between Warford, Reiff and Swanson. It makes sense to keep the group together by re-signing Warford and building off of that success rather than rebuilding with new free agents.

Larry Warford made just over $1.6 million in 2016, the final year of his contract. That number could double in 2017 but it would be money well spent to retain a player with pro-bowl potential and keep the momentum gained from the 2016 season.

#2 Riley Rieff

Reiff had an workman-like season at right tackle, where he should have been all along. After drafting Taylor Decker in the 2016 draft, Reiff moved over to the right after four years protecting the blind side. The Lions right tackle struggled to make the adjustment in the beginning of the season and battled injury issues down the stretch. But still he manged to play better than his 48th overall ranking by Pro-Football Focus.

Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

In the world of analytics it is easy to dismiss a player performance based just on the stats. Despite the very average ranking, Reiff is a vital part of the offensive line and the Detroit Lions should what they can to retain him. But not all cost.

There is a danger in re-signing the former Iowa Hawkeye. Reiff was banged up in 2016, missing two games, the most of his career. At 28 years old he will be looking for a multi-year deal that could gobble up the salary cap in the later years of the contract. The Lions right tackle also made blind-side money in 2016 to the tune of $8.8 million. That was the biggest year of his deal averaged just $1.9 million over four years. It safe to say the Reiff could earn as much 4 or 5 million a year on his new deal.

Cost control will be the name of the game in order to get further value out of Reiff. That said, a comparable free agent would likely cost the Lions 3-5 million a season. As long as they don’t overpay, re-signing Reiff makes good sense if it means maintaining consistency on a much improved offensive line.

#3 Don Mulhbach

Every special teams coach will tell you that a good long-snapper is key to consistent execution on special teams. The combo of Sam Martin and Don Mulhbach has been as consistent as any in the National Football League. Muhlbach made just over $1 million on his way to helping Sam Martin and Matt Prater achieve pro-bowl caliber seasons. Giving him another million in 2017 might be some of the best money the Lions will spend next season.

#4 Anquan Boldin

Aug 27, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Anquan Boldin (80) makes a catch before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

By all statistical measures the 36 year old wide receiver had his worst season in 2016. Anquan Boldin ranked just 71 among those at his position, the lowest rank among Detroit Lions receivers.

Earlier in this post I wrote about how analytics, although helpful, don’t tell the whole story about a player. Boldin displayed leadership on the field throughout the entire regular season. With the notable exception of his playoff meltdown against the Seahawks, Boldin has come up big for the Lions in clutch situations by catching key touchdowns during the Lions mid-season winning streak.

The downside, of course, is Boldin’s age which clearly effected him down the stretch. re-signing Boldin on a one-year contract makes sense for the Lions who struggled with consistency at receiver in 2016.

Ok well there you have it! Four Detroit Lions Free Agents they must sign for 2017. Now its your turn. Tell us which free agent you think the Lions should get to sign on the dotted line.