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Former Lions First-Round Pick Returns for Tryout
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- Former Lions First-Round Pick Returns for Tryout
The Detroit Lions are taking a look at some serious experience for an offensive line that suddenly could use more of it.
Detroit worked out veteran guards Will Hernandez and Laken Tomlinson on Thursday, according to the NFL transaction wire . Neither player had signed with the Lions as of Friday morning.
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The timing isn't difficult to figure out.
Ben Bartch is in concussion protocol, cutting into what was already a shrinking opportunity for him to challenge Christian Mahogany at left guard. Detroit is also operating without center Cade Mays , whose wrist injury is expected to sideline him for roughly eight to 10 weeks .
Brad Holmes apparently decided it wouldn't hurt to have a couple of veteran guards stop by Allen Park.
Especially when those veterans have 260 combined NFL starts.
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Will Hernandez Brings Experience and a Petzing Connection
Hernandez, 30, entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the New York Giants in 2018 and has made 98 career starts. More importantly for Detroit, he already has experience working in Drew Petzing's offense from their time together with the Arizona Cardinals .
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His recent injury history is the concern. Hernandez has struggled to stay on the field over the past couple of seasons, so Detroit would obviously need to be comfortable with where he is physically before making a move.
Still, familiarity matters when you're talking about adding a veteran offensive lineman this late in August. Hernandez wouldn't be learning Petzing's system from scratch.
Tomlinson offers an entirely different storyline.
Detroit selected him with the 28th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but his first run with the Lions lasted only two seasons. The Lions traded him to San Francisco before the 2017 season, and Tomlinson went on to build a much better career than Detroit fans probably expected when he left town.
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He's made 162 NFL starts and earned a Pro Bowl selection during his time with the 49ers . Last season, Tomlinson appeared in 10 games with seven starts for Houston before eventually joining Baltimore 's practice squad. He had also worked out for Cleveland earlier this month without signing .
A Tomlinson reunion 11 years after Detroit drafted him would certainly qualify as one of the more unusual full-circle roster moves we've seen around here.
But nostalgia isn't why the Lions brought him in.
Detroit is still searching for its best combination up front. Dan Campbell has already said the team is willing to move pieces around while sorting through its options without Mays , and Bartch's concussion only complicates that process.
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Mahogany and Tate Ratledge remain the favorites to occupy the guard spots. The concern is what comes next.
Mason Miller, Melvin Priestly and Michael Niese don't offer anything close to the experience Hernandez or Tomlinson would bring. Signing either veteran wouldn't necessarily threaten a starting job. It could simply give Detroit a more trustworthy insurance policy.
And with the regular season getting closer, insurance along the offensive line suddenly doesn't look like such a bad investment.
