Detroit Lions: 3 free agent edge defenders to consider signing

Jabaal Sheard

2019 team / Salary: Indianapolis Colts / $7.5 million

2019 Stats: 13 games played, 12 starts, 4.0 sacks, 25 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss

Age: 30

Height/Weight: 6-3 / 268

Wait a minute, a former New England Patriot, coming to play for his former defensive coordinator, now the head coach in Detroit? Yeah, it’s a tired refrain, but a sensible one as the Lions look to retool their front seven.

Sheard had a pair of good seasons playing for Lions head Matt Patricia in Foxborough when Patricia ran the Patriots’ defense, including winning a Super Bowl in 2017. He has never eclipsed 8.5 sacks in a season but he’s been a steady performer everywhere that he’s played, and his understated, low-maintenance-yet-tough-as-nails demeanor would be a great fit with the Lions.

Physically, he makes perfect sense too. While not as athletically gifted, his frame is comparable to that of Flowers, which would allow him to move up and down the line and even drop back to the second level in certain situations. He’s a high motor player with the ability to plug-and-play in Detroit.

At age 30, Sheard would clearly not be a long-term answer in Detroit. However, he would be a solid short-period option for a team that needs to add depth, experience, and dependability at every level of the defense. Unless the Lions are intent on strictly adding younger players in free agency, this pairing makes a lot of sense.