As first reported by the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers and later confirmed by the Detroit Lions, the team has agreed to terms with offensive lineman Oday Aboushi on a one-year deal.
A seven-year veteran, Aboushi was originally selected in the fifth round (No. 141 overall) by the New York Jets in 2013 and was with the team for two seasons before moving on to the Houston Texans. After two years with the Texans, Aboushi spent a year with the Seattle Seahawks in 2017 and Arizona Cardinals in 2018, before joining the Lions.
Aboushi signed with the Lions in 2019 and served as their fifth interior offensive lineman, spending the first half of the season as a gameday inactive or on the bench. He saw sporadic work due to injury in Weeks 9, 12 and 15, before taking over in the starting lineup in Weeks 16 and 17.
Currently, the Lions have Frank Ragnow and Joe Dahl returning to their starting roles at center and left guard respectively, but there is still a massive hole at right guard after the departure of Graham Glasgow (who signed with the Denver Broncos) and Kenny Wiggins (still an unsigned unrestricted free agent).
If the Lions don’t add another player, Aboushi and Beau Benzschawel would likely be considered the front-runners for the right job role — but that seems like an unrealistic expectation at this time, as more additions (via free agency or the draft) are sure to follow.
At a minimum, Aboushi appears to be a solid veteran depth addition who can push younger players in camp and potentially claim a backend role on the 53-man roster.