The Lions have very little cap space and quite a few players they want to sign, and so they’re likely to be more active in the two weeks before free agency starts than in the period immediately after free agency starts.
Among the many moves they’d like to get done is a new contract for left tackle Jeff Backus, who becomes a free agent on March 13. Backus’s agent says he thinks there’s a good chance that will happen.
“We met at the combine and had a positive discussion,” agent Pat Dye told the Detroit Free Press. “We’ll probably be reconvening here in the near future and we’ll see where it goes.”
Both Lions coach Jim Schwartz and General Manager Martin Mayhew have said they’d like to have Backus back. Backus suffered a torn biceps in the Lions’ playoff loss to the Saints, but he is reportedly making good progress in rehab.