Detroit Lions

Former Colts linebacker Grant Stuard, a strong special teams player, is signing with the Lions.

Stuard announced on Instagram that he’s heading to Detroit.

The 26-year-old Stuard was a 2021 seventh-round pick of the Buccaneers and played primarily on special teams as a rookie. He was traded to the Colts in 2022 and has also played mostly special teams in Indianapolis, and he was chosen as a special teams captain. But Stuard can also contribute on defense, and last season he started five games at linebacker for the Colts as well.

After their defense suffered through an injury-plagued season last year, the Lions want more depth at defense, and they’ve got that in Stuard, while also bolstering their special teams with a player who should be a significant contributor at a fairly low cost.

Titans coach Brian Callahan has made clear he wants a strong offensive line, and his team has taken another step toward making that happen.

The Titans have agreed to a one-year contract with former Lions offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler.

The 35-year-old Zeitler, who can play both guard and center, started 16 games for the Lions last season. He’s also been a starter for the Bengals, Browns, Giants and Ravens during his 13-year NFL career.

Zeitler was No. 39 on our list of the Top 100 free agents.

Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike had options to leave in free agency, but he decided to stay in place.

Onwuzurike has agreed to a new contract with the Lions, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The 27-year-old Onwuzurike has played his entire NFL career with the Lions, who drafted him in the second round in 2021. In a season when the Lions’ defense was devastated by injuries, he was one of their more consistently available defenders, playing in 16 games with 10 starts.

Now the Lions will hope Onwuzurike, who was the No. 31 player on our list of the Top 100 free agents, is part of a healthier and better defense in 2025.

The following are PFT’s top 100 free agents for the start of the 2025 league year. The rankings include prospective unrestricted free agents and released players. The list will be updated as events warrant, with signings, tags and re-signings denoted when announced and/or reported. Players released after initial publication may be added and all 100 players initially on the list will still be listed after any additions.

1. Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. (Franchise tagged by the Bengals on March 3.)

2. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Seahawks on March 10.)

3. Chiefs offensive guard Trey Smith. (Franchise tagged by the Chiefs on Feb. 27.)

4. Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat. (Agreed to four-year deal with the Cardinals on March 10.)

5. Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Bucs on March 10.)

6. Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Ravens on March 8.)

7. Jets cornerback D.J. Reed. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Lions on March 10.)

8. Dolphins safety Jevon Holland. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Giants on March 11.)

9. Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Chiefs on March 9.)

10. Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. (Agreed to four-year deal with the Cowboys on March 4.)

11. Chiefs safety Justin Reid. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Saints on March 11.)

12. Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Chargers on March 10.)

13. 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Colts on March 10.)

14. 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Broncos on March 10.)

15. 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Broncos on March 10.)

16. Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson. (Agreed to three-year extension with the Rams on February 28.)

17. Vikings offensive tackle Cam Robinson.

18. Falcons center Drew Dalman. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Bears on March 10.)

19. Lions cornerback Carlton Davis. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Patriots on March 10.)

20. Eagles linebacker Zack Baun. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Eagles on March 5.)

21. Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Jets on March 9.)

22. Jets edge Haason Reddick. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Buccaneers on March 10.)

23. Eagles offensive guard Mekhi Becton.

24. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

25. Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Vikings on March 10.)

26. Colts offensive guard Will Fries. (Agreed to five-year deal with the Vikings on March 11.)

27. Packers center Josh Myers. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Jets on March 12.)

28. Vikings safety Cam Bynum. (Agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Colts on March 10.)

29. Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Commanders on March 6.)

30. Eagles defensive lineman Milton Williams. (Agreed to sign with the Patriots on March 10.)

31. Lions defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike. (Agreed to new deal with the Lions on March 12.)

32. Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel.

33. Vikings running back Aaron Jones. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Vikings on March 9.)

34. Jets wide receiver Davante Adams. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Rams on March 9.)

35. Raiders safety Tre’von Moehrig. (Agreed to terms with the Panthers on March 10.)

36. Saints tight end Juwan Johnson. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Saints on March 11.)

37. Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper.

38. Steelers running back Najee Harris. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Chargers on March 10.)

39. Lions offensive guard Kevin Zeitler. (Agreed to one-year deal with Titans on March 12.)

40. Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Chiefs on March 8.)

41. Cardinals linebacker Baron Browning. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Cardinals on March 9.)

42. Eagles cornerback Darius Slay. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Steelers on March 12.)

43. Steelers offensive guard James Daniels. (Agreed to three-year deal with Dolphins on March 10.)

44. Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson. (Agreed to three-year deal with Panthers on March 10.)

45. Saints edge rusher Chase Young. (Agreed to three-year deal with Saints on March 10.)

46. Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

47. Colts edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Bears on March 10.)

48. Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton.

49. Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari.

50. Chiefs defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Panthers on March 10.)

51. Falcons safety Justin Simmons.

52. Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Giants on March 10.)

53. Buccaneers offensive guard Ben Bredeson. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Buccaneers on March 10.)

54. Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Chiefs on March 11.)

55. Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Seahawks on March 9.)

56. Vikings edge rusher Patrick Jones. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Panthers on March 10.)

57. Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Bucs on March 7.)

58. Commanders edge rusher Dante Fowler.

59. Vikings safety Harrison Smith. (Agreed to one-year deal to return to Minnesota on March 12.)

60. Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas.

61. Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Bills on March 11.)

62. Steelers quarterback Justin Fields. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Jets on March 10.)

63. Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Raiders on March 10.)

64. Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Bengals on March 10.)

65. Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Raiders on March 10.)

66. Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane. (Agreed to sign with the Patriots on March 10.)

67. Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

68. Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins.

69. Bears offensive lineman Teven Jenkins.

70. Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Jaguars on March 10.)

71. Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Falcons on March 11.)

72. Ravens offensive guard Patrick Mekari. (Agreed to sign with the Jaguars on March 10.)

73. Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen.

74. Cowboys defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Seahawks on March 12.)

75. Commanders tight end Zach Ertz. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Commanders on March 8.)

76. Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bengals on March 10.)

77. Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Seahawks on March 9.)

78. Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. (Agreed to one-year deal with Ravens on March 11.)

79. Colts center Ryan Kelly. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Vikings on March 10.)

80. Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis. (Agreed to sign with the Jaguars on March 1.)

81. Colts safety Julian Blackmon.

82. Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Bengals on March 8.)

83. Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo. (Agreed to sign with the Giants on March 10.)

84. Dolphins defensive lineman Calais Campbell.

85. Falcons edge rusher Matthew Judon.

86. Colts linebacker E.J. Speed.

87. Jaguars offensive guard Brandon Scherff.

88. Steelers offensive tackle Dan Moore. (Agreed to four-year deal with the Titans on March 10.)

89. Chargers defensive tackle Poona Ford. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Rams on March 10.)

90. Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.

91. Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Panthers on March 12.)

92. Browns quarterback Jameis Winston.

93. Cardinals outside linebacker Kyzir White.

94. Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Chargers on March 10.)

95. Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs. (Agreed to a four-year deal with the Packers on March 10.)

96. Jets offensive tackle Morgan Moses. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Patriots on March 10.)

97. Broncos inside linebacker Cody Barton. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Titans on March 10.)

98. 49ers defensive lineman Javon Hargrave. (Agreed to terms with Vikings on March 11.)

99. Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills.

100. Rams defensive tackle Bobby Brown. (Agreed to terms with the Panthers on March 10.)

101. Jaguars safety Andre Cisco. (Agreed to a one-year deal with Jets on March 10.)

102. Cowboys edge rusher Chauncey Golston. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Giants on March 10.)

103. Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Colts on March 11.)

104. Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Steelers on March 11.)

Three NFC North teams made it to the postseason in 2024. The one that didn’t is trying to change things, quickly.

And Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has taken notice.

In the latest episode of the St. Brown Podcast, Amon-Ra reacted to Chicago’s efforts to close the gap under new head coach (and former Lions offensive coordinator) Ben Johnson.

“I feel like the Bears have unlimited fucking money,” Amon-Ra St. Brown told his brother, Equanimeous. “This shit’s crazy. They’re just signing new shit for like forty, fifty million dollars. Joe Thuney. Boom. Jonah Jackson. Bang. Drew Dalman. Bang. Dayo . . . Odeyingbo, another I saw . . . a crazy amount of money. Grady Jarrett. Bang. They’re just breaking everybody off. . . . They have unlimited money. What the fuck is this? . . . Ben’s just making moves, left and right.”

Whether it makes a difference remains to be seen. But the Bears are trying to build a team around potential franchise quarterback Caleb Williams. And job No. 1 seems to be attempting to improve the pass protection for Williams, via the complete rebuilding of the three spots in the interior of the offense line, where Thuney, Dalman, and Jackson will be installed.

The Lions are signing nose tackle Roy Lopez to a one-year, $4.65 million deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.

Lopez, 27, spent the past two seasons with the Cardinals.

In 2024, he started 16 games and 467 defensive snaps, which was 46 percent of the team’s plays. Lopez totaled 28 tackles, one sack, three quarterback hits, three passes defensed and a forced fumble.

The Texans made Lopez a sixth-round pick in 2021, and he spent two seasons in Houston before going to Arizona.

In four seasons, Lopez has appeared in 63 games with 50 starts. He has totaled 137 tackles, three sacks, four passes defensed and a forced fumble.

The NFL awarded a total of 35 compensatory selections to 15 teams in the 2025 draft, the league announced Tuesday.

The Vikings (97th overall), Dolphins (98th), Giants (99th), 49ers (100th), Rams (101st) and Lions (102nd) received third-round picks.

The Ravens, Cowboys and Dolphins received the most compensatory picks with four each, and the Chargers, 49ers and Seahawks each will have three additional selections.

The Bills, Browns, Chiefs and Raiders will get two compensatory picks each, and the Packers, Vikings and Giants will see an additional selection.

Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents (“CFA”) than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.

The compensatory picks will be positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.

Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council.

In addition to 32 compensatory selections awarded under the net loss formula, a special compensatory selection was awarded to the 49ers, the Rams and the Lions under a 2020 amendment to the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. That agreement promotes equal employment opportunities and an inclusive workforce within NFL clubs, incentivizing teams to develop and promote minority talent for General Manager and head coach positions.

The following 2025 compensatory picks were awarded for the 2025 draft on April 24-26 in Green Bay:

The Dolphins are making an addition to their secondary.

Former Detroit safety Ifeatu Melifonwu has agreed to a one-year contract in Miami, his agent told Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Melifonwu was a third-round pick of the Lions in 2021 and has played his entire career in Detroit. Last year Melifonwu missed most of the season with injuries but started the three games he played.

Now the Dolphins will hope Melifonwu earns a starting job, and stays healthy, in 2025.

Saquon Barkley made one of the biggest splashes in free agency last year when he agreed to leave the Giants for the Eagles and the running back cashed in again this year.

The Eagles signed Barkley to a two-year, $41.2 million extension that made him the highest-paid running back in league history. It came on the heels of Barkley running for more yards than any other player over the course of the regular season and a playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl win.

At a press conference on Monday, Barkley said that building on what he and the team accomplished “is a big goal of mine” and it’s not the only thing he wants to see happen in the wake of his agreement. Barkley mentioned Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and James Cook while talking about how he hopes his deal helps other backs earn deals that make his look less like an outlier.

“I hope it does what it’s supposed to do,” Barkley said. “Every other position, the value increases each year. For the Bijans and the Gibbs — I know Cook is up, too. All those guys who are up need to get paid. I hope they beat it. That’s kinda how I look at it. I’m not one of those guys, I don’t care for this guy’s getting paid more than me or not. That’s what the sport is about, building the position up. All of those young guys that’s underneath me, when there’s a time, hopefully they beat it and max it out even more.”

Robinson and Gibbs aren’t eligible for extensions yet, but Cook has his eyes on landing one in Buffalo this offseason and the result of his effort will provide some evidence on how much Barkley’s pact is impacting others.

The Lions are holding onto their sixth offensive lineman.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that Dan Skipper has agreed to a one-year deal to remain with the team.

Skipper joined the Lions during the 2019 season, but began seeing regular playing time during the 2022 season. He has started 11 games, but most of his playing time has come as an extra offensive lineman.

That role often calls for Skipper to report as eligible and that left him in the middle of a controversial moment in a 2023 loss to the Cowboys. Officials ruled that Skipper reported as eligible rather than Taylor Decker before Decker caught what would have been a go-ahead two-point conversion. The Lions haven’t shied away from similar plays since then, however, and Skipper caught a touchdown against the Bills during the 2024 season.