Options for teams that need a guard in the NFL this offseason are quickly dwindling and free agency isn’t even begun yet. That’s not great news for the Detroit Lions.
It just so happens that the latest domino to fall previously made a Pro Bowl as a member of the Lions and went to a division rival.
According to Adam Schefter, the Los Angeles Rams are sending Jonah Jackson to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
Trade: Rams are in the process of sending veteran offensive lineman Jonah Jackson to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick, per ESPN’s @CourtneyRCronin. The trade cannot be processed until March 12. pic.twitter.com/lj3M8VW5V8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2025
Jackson began his career with the Lions and had just joined the Rams last offseason.
Before this deal there was previously some hope he would join a thin class of free agent guards.
That class of free agents had already lost Zack Martin to retirement and Trey Smith to the franchise tag.
Many of the top remaining options set to hit free agency come with major question marks.
James Daniels tore his Achilles this past season. Will Fries’ season ended with a broken Tibia. The 14 games Teven Jenkins played this past season were the most in his first four years in the league.
Luckily for the Lions, they have the chance to lock down a dependable guard without these injury issues before he even hits the free agent market.
Kevin Zeitler spent the 2024 season with the Lions and was an extremely reliable piece of one of the NFL’s best offensive lines.
Now he is getting close to returning to the free agent market just one year after signing a $6 million contract with the Lions.
They shouldn’t let that happen.
There are plenty of reasons the Lions have become a contender over the past couple of years, but the offensive line has been one of the biggest.
It has been a dominant unit and this past season, Zeitler was an important part of that.
According to Pro Football Focus, he was one of the league’s highest-graded run blockers at the guard position. The run game was a huge part of the team’s offensive success in 2024 and should continue to be in 2025.
The Lions do have a backup plan available in Christian Mahogany, who they drafted in the sixth round last year. He performed well as a rookie, but relying on a player with two career starts when your O-Line is a big part of your identity is risky.
If they keep Zeitler, the Lions would have another year to make sure Mahogany is their answer while also ensuring their O-Line stays strong for a potential Super Bowl run.
The Lions really shouldn’t want to end up searching for a guard in this year’s free agent class when they have a perfectly good starter they can sign before anybody else gets a crack at him.
