5 free agents the Detroit Lions could still sign before the 2023 season starts

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
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Detroit Lions, Shelby Harris
Michael Chow/The Republic

3. WR N'Keal Harry

We've banged the drum a little bit for Harry as a fit for the Lions before. The former first-round pick by the Patriots has been a bust, but he's big (6-foot-4), still young (25) and broadly a fit for the "X" receiver role Jameson Williams will be vacating during his six-game suspension to start the season.

There is some concern out there about the depth of the Lions' wide receiver room, while Williams is out of action suspended if not beyond. Harry won't solve that on his own, but leaving aside a big name like DeAndre Hopkins he is someone the Lions could take a flier on during camp and maybe he sticks.

2. DT Shelby Harris

The Lions' interior defensive line, this side of Alim McNeill anyway, is a lingering concern. The signing of veteran Christian Covington added a body to the mix, but there are question marks (Levi Onwuzurike).

In naming "one last move" for each NFC team back in May, Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus made a case for the Lions to sign Harris.

"A reliable veteran on the interior next to 2021 third-round pick Alim McNeill could be a key addition to a young Lions defensive line that got gashed up the middle at times in 2022, and Harris earned a 76.9 run-defense grade in 2022 while logging more than 25 quarterback pressures for the fourth straight season."

Harris has experience the Lions could use, and versatility to line up across the defensive line to bolster the fit.

Onwuzurike's health stands to be a factor in any move to add a defensive tackle. But the veteran Harris should be on the Lions' radar, if he's not already.

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