The Detroit Lions are hurting on the offensive line. Between Frank Ragnow's retirement/comeback bid/staying retired dance, Taylor Decker's release, and a couple draft picks who haven't quite come into their own, the unit is no longer the strength it once was.
Giovanni Manu isn't a viable left tackle option in 2026. Left guard Christian Mahogany struggled in pass protection before a broken leg cut his NFL sophomore season short. There's real room for improvement with this group.
For an immobile, pure pocket passer like Jared Goff, upgrading the trenches in front of him must be a priority. It shouldn't be too much to ask the Lions to mull a one-year reunion with a wily veteran.
Ex-Lions guard Kevin Zeitler is an ideal target in free agency's next wave
This was a concept pitched by my esteemed colleague Freddie Boston, but also reinforced by a recent Bleacher Report piece from Kristopher Knox. In analyzing the best fits for the remaining free agents, Detroit came up as one of Kevin Zeitler's two best landing spots.
The other destination Knox threw out was the Los Angeles chargers, who have about twice as much cap space as the Lions as of this writing. Zeitler is a far superior player to LA's free-agent acquisition Cole Strange, who played under new Bolts offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel last year in Miami. Strange shouldn't stop the Chargers from pursuing Zeitler whatsoever.
All that said, the Motor City mystique is working in Detroit's favor. There's a familiarity X-factor that could compel Zeitler to sign on the dotted line for his age-36 season.
Zeitler still has plenty in the tank, or so he showed in 2025, ranking as the 11th-best guard in PFF's overall grades. Still as reliable as ever, both as a pass protector and in the run game. Why he isn't gassed up more league-wide is still a puzzler to me. Maybe it's because of the position he plays. One of the best interior offensive linemen of his generation.
One element that could stop this prospective reunion in its tracks is the presence of Tate Ratledge. Last year's second-round pick out of Georgia started right away at right guard and performed very well.
Among Zeitler's 14,409 career snaps including the playoffs, a mere six of them haven't come at right guard. No need to break what doesn't need to be fixed there. However, that'd mean Ratledge would have to kick over to left guard if Zeitler joined the fold.
I'm sure Dan Campbell and his staff could figure it out to bring a seasoned pro of Zeitler's caliber back to Detroit.
I've discussed the Lions flipping Penei Sewell from right to left tackle, and possibly targeting a left guard early in the 2026 NFL Draft. Players like Sewell, Zeitler, and Ratledge all seem highly capable of changing things up to get the five best men on the field to block for the Lions' high-octane offense.
In any event, based on the fact that Goff took a career-most 38 sacks last season, he'd surely welcome Zeitler back with open arms no matter where he lines up on Sundays.