5 2022 free agents the Detroit Lions should re-sign
2. OLB Charles Harris
After tallying just 6.5 sacks in his first four NFL seasons with the Dolphins and Falcons, Harris leads the Lions with six sacks this season–with a four-game sack streak earlier and two sacks in the Week 13 win over the Vikings. He has also generated 25 quarterback pressures over 12 games.
.@Lions OLB Charles Harris produces the first multi-sack game of his career.
— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) December 5, 2021
He is the 3rd Lions LB to produce at least 6.0 sacks and 2 FFs in a season, and the first to do so since Broderick Thomas in 1994.#OnePride pic.twitter.com/x1OITlLV7V
Harris is lining himself up to get paid solidly on a multi-year deal as a free agent. The Lions should be heavily in the mix to bring him back, and the odds of a bidding war feels long.
1. S Tracy Walker
Walker is having a resurgent season in 2021, as the new coaching staff in Detroit is using him more ideally than their predecessors did. He is tied for the team lead in tackles (78, and a team-high 53 solo stops) with seven pass breakups and an interception. He will be 27 years old when free agency starts in March.
Walker has made himself money this year, and someone will pay him (a four-year, $54 million deal? hypothetically). The Lions have the leader for their young secondary in place already, and keeping him long-term has to be high on the list of offseason priorities. Agreement on a new deal before the season is over wouldn’t be a surprise.
Other 2022 free agents the Lions should re-sign: LB Alex Anzalone, C Evan Brown, OT Matt Nelson
Related Story. 5 Detroit Lions free agents who won't be back in 2022. light