The NFL’s deadline of 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday for teams to use the franchise tag on potential free agent players came and went without any activity from the Detroit Lions. As expected, the Lions did not tag any of their players on expiring contracts.
Without a single free agent listed in the top 50 available at either The Athletic or Pro Football Focus, there was no real viable candidate for the Lions to tag. EDGE Charles Harris and safety Tracy Walker will not command anything close to the franchise tag value at their respective positions on new contracts, and they are still able to re-sign with Detroit once free agency begins.
Detroit did bring back wide receiver Josh Reynolds in a deal completed before the period. Reynolds signed a two-year contract worth a reported $12 million earlier on Tuesday. That contract value is less than what the franchise tag would have bought for one season of a wide receiver.
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There were several players who did get tagged around the league.
- Packers WR Davante Adams
- Bengals S Jessie Bates
- Chiefs OT Orlando Brown Jr.
- Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki
- Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin
- Browns TE David Njoku
- Jaguars OT Cam Robinson
- Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz