Sign a free agent starter
This is how Wagner came to the Lions, and it’s the most expensive way to get it done. Depending on how much the team wants to devote cap room to right tackle, it’s also the surest way to solidify the position.
The most prominent right tackle on the market is Jack Conklin, who has played his entire four-year career with the Tennessee Titans. He was an All-Pro as a rookie and bounced back after two subpar seasons (he graded lower than Wagner in PFF scoring in both 2017 and 2018) with a strong 2019. Conklin, a Michigan State product and native of the Mitten State, will command a significantly bigger payday than the $9 million the Lions would have spent on Wagner, however.
Other free agents available who are of Wagner’s caliber of play or better:
- Andrew Whitworth, Rams – He’s 38 and a natural left tackle but he’s eminently capable of buying the team a year or two on the right side. Whitworth has missed just three games since 2009, the same number of All-Pro teams he’s made in that span.
- Bryan Bulaga, Packers – At 31, Bulaga still has the power and toughness that made him — like Wagner — one of the better all-around right tackles for the ’10s. The run blocking remains high-end, but his struggles with speed on the edge are unlikely to improve with age.
- Cordy Glenn, Bengals – Cut by the Bengals this week, Glenn has been a premium pass-protecting left tackle throughout his career in both Buffalo and Cincinnati. The 30-year-old has missed 10 games apiece in two of the last three seasons.
- Demar Dotson, Buccaneers – Now 35, Dotson has mixed sporadic greatness with wild ineffectiveness throughout his long career with the Buccaneers. Lions fans frustrated by left tackle Taylor Decker’s inconsistency will not like Dotson at all.