The Detroit Lions are coming up on the free agency period, which officially starts with the new league year on Wednesday, March 12, at 4 p.m. ET. Of course, the NFL’s “legal tampering period” starts on Monday, March 10, at 9 p.m. and runs until Wednesday, March 12, at 12:59 p.m., so if a team wants to make a move before free agency, now is the time.
The Lions appear to be getting their ducks in a row ahead of free agency, and they’ve pulled off a scurry of extensions and re-signings before the period opens.
Detroit Lions Making Sure They Have Linebacker Support
The Lions made a significant move on Friday, March 7, by signing linebacker Derrick Barnes to an extension. His deal is a three-year, $25.5 million contract extension, so it’s a pretty weighty one. Then, the Lions followed that move by re-signing veteran linebacker Anthony Pittman to a one-year deal.
Now, the Lions have done it again, and they’re keeping linebacker Ezekiel Turner in the fold, according to NFL insider Aaron Wilson.
Turner was signed by the Lions during the 2024 season, first inking a deal to be on the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster not long after due to the Lions’ defensive injuries kicked in. Before Detroit, Turner was with the Arizona Cardinals for six seasons, almost all of them on special teams.
Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp sang the praises of Turner in December of last season. “He’s a player that I’ve respected for a long time,” Fipp said, according to the Detroit Football Network. “When I was in Philly, and he was in Arizona, we played against each other a handful of games and I always thought he was a very good player. But even better than that for us was actually just the fit.”
Fipp added that the way he covers and “plays the game is very similar to Jalen Reeves-Maybin, so it was like just a natural slide in and fit.” With that in mind, Fipp explained that “it was an easy decision for us.”
“He’s super smart and intelligent. I got a lot of confidence and faith and trust in him already in a very short period of time,” Fipp added. “The special teams coach from Arizona sent me a text message and said, ‘I don’t know if I trust another guy more than I trust him.’ And that’s a guy I respect quite a bit.”
Detroit Lions’ Linebacker Situation
When it comes to linebackers, Detroit has been active as of late and are looking pretty solid in the position. On top of Turner, Pittman, and Barnes, Detroit also has Alex Anzalone, Malcolm Rodriguez, Abraham Beauplan, Jack Campbell and DaRon Gilbert under contract. The team has been reported to be parting with Reeves-Maybin, although that’s not confirmed.
That’s a lot of linebackers, but they don’t want to get into a situation like last season where their injuries were getting the best of them. The Lions have $51 million in cap space, and time will tell how they use it heading into free agency.
It’s also worth noting that the Lions have released edge Za’Darius Smith, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
