Dec 30, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills guard Andy Levitre (67) during the game against the New York Jets at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Jets 28-9. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

All that being the case, it would seem the Lions would show some interest in free agent guard Andy Levitre, soon to be formerly of the Buffalo Bills. He has quietly become one of the league’s best, particularly protecting the quarterback.

NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling put together a great roundup of the Levitre chase:

Reliable Titans beat writer Jim Wyatt was willing to give “even money” Friday night that general manager Ruston Webster’s first phone call at midnight would go Levtire’s agent. By Saturday afternoon, Wyatt had confirmation that the Titans are among the teams blowing up the agent’s phone.

So who is Webster’s primary competition? Already reported to be interested in free-agent guards Brandon Moore, Kevin Boothe and Ramon Foster, and the Sun-Times believes Levitre is on the Chicago Bears’ radar as well.

Surveying the free-agent landscape, there aren’t many teams with salary-cap space and a dire need at guard. One team that qualifies is Indianapolis, though general manager Ryan Grigson is expected to concentrate on Louis Vasquez due to his ties in the Colts’ front office.

According to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, one of the Titans, Colts, and Bills will be left without a chair when the music stops. All three have interest in Levitre and Vasquez, which could leave the loser competing with the Bears for Moore and Foster.

Notably absent from the discussion are the Lions. It’s no secret that money will have a lot to do with Levitre’s decision and that is an area the Lions simply can’t compete given their lack of room under the salary cap.

In a perfect world (like the kind where the Lions have $40 million in cap space), Levitre may have been one of the team’ top targers. But we don’t live in such a world an the reality of the situation is that no matter how much the Lions might like Levitre, purusing him may simply not be feasible.

While fans always like to dwell on the big names, situations like this go to show that the best player isn’t always the best fit.

Dec. 30, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills free safety Jairus Byrd (31) makes a diving tackle on New York Jets running back Shonn Greene (23) during the first half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

A huge need at a position combined with another team’s big time player’s impending free agency will always create a storm within a fanbase. That’s what happened with a lot of Detroit Lions fans with Jairus Byrd’s contract with the Buffalo Bills set to expire.

Those dreams have been dashed by the news that the Bills will use the franchise tag to retain Byrd’s services. However, the Buffalo News is reporting that the Bills will use the non-exclusive franchise tag which means Byrd will be free to negotiate a long-term deal with other clubs. If an agreement is reached, the Bills will have the right to match the offer or receive two first round draft picks in return. Byrd would have been an attractive option as a free agent, but the cost is too steep when factoring in the draft picks that would be sent back to the Bills.

But that isn’t where this story ends concerning the Detroit Lions. The Bills using the franchise tag on Byrd means they won’t be using it on guard Andy Levitre. Last month, I profiled Levitre as a possible free agency target for the Lions and there is no doubt he would be an improvement over the since-released Stephen Peterman.

The question becomes how the Lions fit Levitre into their overall plan for the offensive line. It seems certain that Gosder Cherilus will leave via free agency and while he is a tackle and Levitre is a guard, the two positions are likely linked in helping to determine who starts across the line. If the Lions sign Levitre there is no possibility that Riley Reiff will play guard. If Jeff Backus indeed returns, that means Reiff will start at right tackle. If Backus decides to retire, Reiff will have first crack at the left tackle position leaving a competition for Jason Fox and Corey Hilliard on the right side. A further variable is next month’s draft in which the Lions could add a tackle like Central Michigan’s Eric Fisher.

While there are a lot of moving parts to the Lions’ offensive line situation, signing Levitre would give the Lions a solid pair of guards for the foreseeable future and represent an offensive line improvement as a whole. It remains to be seen how interested the Lions might actually be in Levitre, but the Bills slapping Byrd with the franchise tag means there is still a chance.

Nov 4, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Buffalo Bills guard Andy Levitre (67) blocks against the Houston Texans in the second quarter at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL’s free agency period is still over a month away but the chatter is heating up well in advance of the March 12 opening. One of the hot early names linked to the Detroit Lions has been guard Andy Levitre. With Jairus Byrd a more likely candidate to receive the franchise tag from the Buffalo Bills, Levitre will have the opportunity to test the free agent market.

It’s no wonder that Levitre’s name would come up in Lions circles. They have a need at guard, Martin Mayhew has said the team would be a player in free agency and new running game coach Curtis Modkins spent time working with the running game in Buffalo.

Levitre is already on record as saying he will shop for the best deal on the free agent market. I suppose “best” can be interpreted a couple different ways but that generally means “biggest money.” So should the Lions be willing to sink big money into Levitre to shore up their offensive line?

There is no doubt Levitre would be an improvement over Stephen Peterman but the decision to sign (or not sign) has to come down to what the Lions specifically want to accomplish. If it is to improve in the running game, they might want to take a pass.

Consider Levitre’s Pro Football Focus run block grades:
2012: -0.7
2011: +2.4
2010: +0.2
2009: -8.7

The top ten guard run blocking grades are routinely reach double figures with the very best in the neighborhood of +25.0. Levitre won’t be a road grading guard.

Still, Levitre has proven to be one of the league’s best guards over the last couple seasons, ranking in the top ten in PFF’s guard ratings. He has done it on the strength of his pass blocking (he was the best in 2012 according to PFF) and an extra boost from his play in the screen game.

One of the criticisms of the season by Martin Mayhew was that he felt they allowed too much pressure up the middle of the offensive line. My review of the guards said that Peterman was the big culprit there, and his release says as much from the organization’s perspective. Identifying that as a problem suggests that the Lions could then look to address that issue specifically. Signing Levitre would do that.

The other big question is cost. Ben Grubbs signed a five-year, $36 million contract with $15.9 million in guarantees last offseason – that may be a decent comparison. It’s a deal the Lions can make work but it might also mean Levitre is the only significant free agent addition unless the Lions clear more cap space.

How Lions fans form their opinion of the team’s pursuit of Levitre likely comes down to their opinion on what the Lions should do with their offensive line and offensive attack. Signing Levitre would be an overall upgrade over what they have had but it wouldn’t turn them into a power running football team. The Lions wouldn’t suddenly look like the San Francisco 49ers or Baltimore Ravens, the would look more like they have over the last two season but with better results.