The good folks at Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 50 pending free agents for the coming offseason. Nary a single Detroit Lions player appears anywhere on the list.
It makes sense overall, given the current youthful state of Detroit’s roster. The top pending unrestricted free agents for the Lions are guards Jonah Jackson and Graham Glasgow, wide receiver Josh Reynolds, defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson and EDGE Romeo Okwara. Of that group, injury issues rightly diminish the stature and perception of Jackson and Gardner-Johnson.
One of the revelations from the list is which players PFF presumes are more attractive than the Lions players hitting the market. In Jackson’s case, that list includes 33-year-old Ravens guard Kevin Zeitler, Raiders center Andre James, Dolphins center (and former Cowboys guard) Connor Williams, and Patriots right tackle (and former guard) Michael Onwenu, among others.
If the NFL views Jackson as a free agent through that PFF prism, it sure doesn’t seem like he’s getting a hefty payday on the open market. It also presents several appealing options to replace Jackson should he choose to leave Detroit.