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3 free agent defensive tackles the Detroit Lions could sign to add size

By Brad Berreman

Sep 27, 2020; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detroit Lions defensive tackle Danny Shelton (71) following the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hardiman-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 27, 2020; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detroit Lions defensive tackle Danny Shelton (71) following the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hardiman-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Danny Shelton

Shelton is surely not the former Lions defensive tackle fans would like to see on this list, but it’s safe to say he’s also a better current fit for the team than Ndamukong Suh.

Shelton spent the 2020 season with the Lions, as Matt Patricia brought the former Patriot in as a free agent coming off the best season of his career (61 tackles and three sacks in 2019). He finished that season with the Lions on IR, with 37 total tackles (two tackles for loss) and one sack over 12 games. He spent the 2021 season with the New York Giants, with career-low 29 percent snap rate over 13 games.

Shelton was a first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns (12th overall) in 2015, with three seasons there and two with New England before that lone year in Detroit.

Shelton recently had a visit with the Carolina Panthers, but no deal immediately came. A couple rough seasons in a row is the explanation for why he’s still available into training camps, but it’s not as if the situations around him have been great.

Shelton will never be a high-end pass rusher from the inside. But he can be valuable in the right role, and from a pure mass perspective (345 pounds) it’d be surprising if the Lions haven’t already considered him on some level.

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