3 free agent offensive linemen the Lions should get a hold of, including longtime Patriots starter

The NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday, but as we've already noted, it's pretty unlikely that the Detroit Lions are going to make a trade for someone to take over for Christian Mahogany now that he's going to be out for some time. But that doesn't mean the Lions are just going to sit on their hands. There's some solid guard help in free agency. Here are three guys to pay attention to.

G Shaq Mason

The best guy available on the market right now for sure. Mason has played 151 games and started 146 of them. He's been a career starter, and it's a little wild that he's not on a roster right now, especially since he started 15 games for the Texans, who were a playoff team last year. He had his worst year in 2024, but even that looks decent for the Lions, who could use the help right now. It wasn't long ago when he was an elite run blocker. In addition to the Texans, he was the Patriots' starter for seven seasons before starting two years in Tampa Bay.

G Cody Whitehair

Lions fans should recognize his guy because he was a Pro Bowl guard for the Bears for eight seasons before spending last year with the Raiders. The Lions aren't getting what they could get out of Mason here, but they do get a veteran starting guard whom they have a lot of tape on and are familiar with. There's no doubt that Whitehair struggled with the Raiders in 2024, but in Detroit, he does have a better supporting cast. It might be worth it to just have him in for a workout to see if there's anything left there.

G Netane Muti

Muti doesn't have a lot of starting experience, but he does have experience with the Lions. He was on the roster the last two summers, and in 2024, it seemed like he was going to make the 53-man roster before he suffered a season-ending injury. This summer, he had an outside chance, but didn't make it. The Lions may look to bring him back as someone they feel they could get some good depth out of.