The Detroit Lions had their typical tepid run through free agency this year, with a run of one-year deals to maintain the financial flexibility Brad Holmes wants so he literally try to keep everyone he drafted
The notable exception, with the actual ability to replace Frank Ragnow this offseason, was the three-year, $25 million deal for center Cade Mays. Mays doesn't need to be Ragnow; simply being serviceable to above-average will be just fine.
Amid some turnover in an effort to get the Lions offensive line back into the conversation among the best in the NFL, Mays, even as a new face, can be a stabilizer.
New free agency prediction would quickly reunite Cade Mays with a former teammate
As Moe Moton of Bleacher Report matched seven bargain bin free agents with potential suitors, one player he matched with the Lions was obvious after the recent release of cornerback Terrion Arnold.
But Moton matched the Lions with a second player on his list, offensive lineman Brady Christensen.
"Brady Christensen won't turn 30 until September, so he makes the list of bargain-bin options who may still have some prime years left. The versatile offensive lineman has played all five of his seasons with the Carolina Panthers and lined up at all five spots within the front-line unit, mostly at left guard."
"According to Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer, Christensen hopes to be cleared to practice at training camp after tearing his Achilles tendon in October of last year."
"If Christensen is ready to put on pads in August, he could have a solid market for his services. He's started in 34 out of 59 games as a stabilizing asset on the Panthers' offensive line."
"Teams that need a plug-and-play guard or sixth offensive lineman who can fill voids wherever necessary should keep tabs on Christensen's recovery timetable this summer."
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As Moton noted, Christensen's 2025 campaign ended after eight games (four starts at right guard) due to a torn Achilles. He played all 17 games the previous season, but made just six starts split between center and left tackle. A bicep tear in Week 1 of the 2023 season ended his season.
That 2023 season opener was also the last game Christensen played at left guard. In 2022 he started all 17 games for the Panthers at left guard, but Pro Football Focus graded him out in the bottom-third of qualifying guards that season.
The Lions are set to have a loaded competition for the starting spot at left guard during training camp, featuring Christian Mahogany, Ben Bartch, Juice Scruggs, Miles Frazier and Giovanni Manu with varying degrees of likelihood to win. Mahogany, the favorite such as one could be tabbed, is clearly not being promised anything.
But if things go a certain, less than ideal way in that competition, a healthy Christensen would lurk as an option to help out. His five-position versatility would also be an asset in a depth role, should that become a fit.
Mays and Christensen were teammates for four seasons in Carolina. The odds of a quick reunion don't seem great right now, given all the other offensive line pieces the Lions have, but there is a scenario that could make it happen before Week 1.
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