While the NFL free agency period doesn’t start until Wednesday, March 11, at 4 p.m. ET, the legal tampering period has been active over the last 48 hours. There’s still plenty of talent available, but the majority of “top” free agents are finding new homes for the 2026 season, making this an opportune time to look at the Detroit Lions’ winners and losers from the initial free agency wave.
While most Lions fans are underwhelmed by the team’s early activity—they’ve certainly lost more than they’ve gained so far—it’s worth noting that expectations for the team’s future are largely unchanged in the national eye.
For example, according to the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook, the Lions’ odds of winning the Super Bowl dipped from +1600 in February to +1700 in March, and remain at +1700 after the initial 48 hours of free agency. They have seen a slight dip in odds to win the NFC North, sliding from +160 to +170, but they’re still the favorites, followed by the Packers +180, Bears +360, and Vikings +600.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at who benefited and who suffered from the Lions’ initial free agency moves.
Winner: Tate Ratledge
You’d be hard-pressed to find a happier player on the Lions right now than Tate Ratledge. Not only did he recently get married, but the signing of Cade Mays as the Lions’ starting center likely signifies that Ratledge will stay right guard.
Following the retirement of Frank Ragnow ahead of the 2025 season, the Lions were scrambling to find a center and tried to move Ratledge to the pivot in order to find some stability. Unfortunately, Ratledge had a challenging time adapting, and understandably so, considering he was leveling up to NFL competition and he’d never played the position before. In the end, the Lions moved Graham Glasgow back to center and Ratledge back to right guard, the position he played his entire career.
That decision was the best for the rookie, as Ratledge showed steady progress throughout the year, and if he continues to develop at this rate, he could be headed for a Pro Bowl season sooner than later.
This offseason, both coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes noted they would explore all options at center, including trying Ratledge out again if necessary. With a small free-agent center class, a draft class with no surefire starting centers, and the Lions releasing Glasgow from the roster, things started to point toward Ratledge possibly being the Lions’ best option. As the tampering period neared and the center market began to thin even further, Ratledge looked like he might be called upon to make a position switch.
Fortunately, as the tampering period opened, the Lions wasted little time aggressively working to sign Mays, thus allowing Ratledge to settle back in at his natural position.
Loser: Giovanni Manu
The Lions’ second signing during the tampering period was offensive tackle Larry Borom. With the release of Taylor Decker and retirement of Dan Skipper, Borom is currently penciled in as a Lions starter opposite Penei Sewell. That being said, it’s very clear that the Lions will be targeting an offensive tackle in this upcoming NFL Draft, possibly even in the first round, and that player would likely compete with Borom for a starting role, with the non-starter becoming the Lions’ OT3/swing tackle.
The Lions signing an offensive tackle on the first day of free agency and then likely drafting another is a clear sign that they’re not happy with the progress Giovanni Manu has made, and they’re probably not counting on him winning either of the two vacant roles.
Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs
In 2025, the Lions departed from their 50/50 timeshare between Jahmy Gibbs and David Montgomery, leaning on Gibbs to carry the majority of the workload. That split prompted a trade request from Montgomery, and he was dealt to the Texans, leaving an RB2-sized hole in the Lions’ backfield.
While it’s clear that the Lions shifted their backfield to feature Gibbs, they now needed to find a physical running back who could take some of the pressure off their young back’s shoulders. By giving Gibbs a breather and splitting up some of the workload, it should increase the chances that Gibbs is fresh for the later parts of the season and the postseason.
A violent runner who has a habit of consistently falling forward and converting short-yardage situations, Pacheco is a very solid complement to Gibbs and checks a lot of boxes the Lions were looking for. He’s not quite the same back as he was before breaking his leg a year and a half ago, but the foundational skills are there to give the Lions what they need.
Gibbs can rest easier tonight, knowing he has a bruiser to help him with the workload this season.
Loser: Kelvin Sheppard
While the Lions will surely find ways to fill those holes, they’ve yet to make those decisions, leaving defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard in a tough spot. Now, we’re only two days into free agency, and still have the NFL Draft on the horizon, but at this stage of the roster-building process, the Lions’ defense is down two starters.
So stay tuned, things can turn around quickly this time of year.
Winner: Youth leadership movement
When the Holmes/Campbell regime took over in 2021, one of their first orders of business was to find leadership amongst the players. It took a year or two, but eventually the Lions had amassed a strong foundation of veteran leaders to complement the injection of talented youth on the roster.
With the majority of those talented young players already having received a contract extension—or are due one in the near future—it was presumed that this offseason would mark a transition period where tough decisions would have to be made with their veteran players. Unfortunately, those premonitions came true, and the Lions have moved on from several strong leaders in the locker room, including Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Alex Anzalone, Amik Robertson, and Kalif Raymond.
On the positive side, the Lions’ willingness to move on is also a strong indicator that they believe the players they’ve acquired over the last five seasons are up to the leadership task. We have already seen some of these transitions happen over the past few years, with Penei Sewell breaking down the pre-game huddles and Jack Campbell being given the green-dot helmet for defensive play calls, but others will need to step up. We’ve seen a natural progression in leadership roles from Aidan Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Kerby Joseph over the last few seasons, but the team will need to lean on them even further moving forward.
Who else will step up? We’ll have to wait and see, but the chances are it’ll be a player drafted by this regime.
