The Detroit Lions have re-signed a player, inking a deal with backup offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher.
Ahead of the start of free agency, the Detroit Lions have re-signed one of their own. Wednesday morning, the team announced it has agreed to a deal with reserve offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher.
#Lions re-sign OL Ross Pierschbacher
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) March 8, 2023
As a restricted free agent, the Lions could have tendered Pierschbacher at the mininum $2.6 million. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s presumably a one-year deal for less than that $2.6 million RFA tender mark.
The Lions signed Pierschbacher at the start of the 2022 regular season, as interior line depth became an issue. He played in three games last season, with 19 snaps all on special teams.
A fifth-round pick out of Alabama by Washington in 2019, he played in five games that season. Then he appeared in three games for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020.
Rosss Pierschbacher could become valuable interior line depth for the Lions
Versatile backup Evan Brown, who filled in nicely for Frank Ragnow at center in 2021 and stepped in right guard and played well when healthy least year, is a free agent and he may find a solid pay day elsewhere. Halapoulivaati Vaitai missed the entire 2022 season with a back injury, and he feels like an obvious cap casualty. Tommy Kraemer, who is also a restricted free agent after spending last season injured, could be back too.
In theory, Pierschbacher can play all three interior line spots. He quite simply has basically not played in the NFL though, so it’s hard to know how good (or bad) he is. And if he had to start any games, it’d be safe to say it’s not going very well for the Lions in terms of injuries to guys like Ragnow, Jonah Jackson or whoever the starting right guard is next season.
But there must be something the Lions like about Pierschbacher. It’s not the kind of needle-moving re-signing fans are hoping for, but it’s a start.