The Detroit Lions did not have a great offensive line last year. Now, to strengthen that, an NFL reporter has urged the Lions to invest in a talent that has worked with Lamar Jackson.

Jared Goff absorbed 38 sacks in the 2025 season, becoming the 8th most sacked quarterback of the season. The Lions are in dire need of a better offensive line. Albert Breer thinks that they will make a move on Tyler Linderbaum.

“As for the Lions, I’d expect the acquisition of Scruggs to be the first one in a little bit of an offensive line reworking. Detroit’s identity was built through that position group through Dan Campbell’s first four years, and fell off a bit last year. To get it back to where it was, I wouldn’t rule out a big swing by Detroit, maybe on someone such as Ravens free-agent center Tyler Linderbaum.”

The Lions have already brought in another Lineman (Juice Scruggs) by trading David Montgomery to the Houston Texans. Now, if they want to go back to how good their 2023 and 2024 seasons were, investing in Tyler Linderbaum does not seem like a bad option at all.

Linderbaum was selected in the 1st round (25th overall pick) of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens after playing college football at Iowa. He signed a 4-year rookie contract worth about $13.23 million. There, he protected Lamar Jackson, who won the MVP in the 2023 season.

During the 2025 regular season, he played 1,007 offensive snaps, with 536 pass-blocking snaps and 471 run-blocking snaps. All of them were at the center. In those snaps, he allowed 2 sacks, 1 quarterback hit, and 26 total pressures, and committed 5 penalties. He has been good.

But the Ravens declined his 5th-year option for 2026 because it would have cost about $23.4 million. He is going to be a free agent and is not at all a bad option if the Lions want to add some talent to the offensive line that protects Jared Goff.

This Teammate of Lamar Jackson Isn't the Only Option

According to reports, Linderbaum is seeking somewhere between $22 and $25 million. That might be too much for the Detroit Lions. So, in case they cannot get their hands on him, they can also try for IOL Cade Mays.

He is a mid-tier, affordable option with plenty of upside to help stabilize the offensive line. Mays signed a 1-year, $3,406,000 contract with the Carolina Panthers, averaging $3,406,000 per year. He will also be a free agent ahead of the 2026 season.

In the 2025 season, he played 726 offensive snaps, including 429 pass-blocking snaps and 297 run-blocking snaps. All of them were exclusively at the center. In those, he allowed 0 sacks, 3 quarterback hits, and 11 total pressures, while committing 2 penalties.

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Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu