Lions News

[Futureshock]

OL Graham Glasgow To Return To Lions


March 16th, 2023 at 1:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Three years after losing Graham Glasgow in free agency, the Lions intend to bring him back. The veteran interior offensive lineman is signing with his former team Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.


The Lions drafted Glasgow in the 2016 third round but lost him to the Broncos’ four-year, $44MM deal in 2020. Detroit is planning to sign Glasgow to a one-year deal worth up to $4.5MM. The Broncos made Glasgow a cap casualty late last week.

Detroit features one of the league’s better O-lines this time around. Ex-Glasgow teammates Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow remain in place, while 2020 third-rounder Jonah Jackson joins them as a locked-in starter. Penei Sewell is also a cornerstone piece up front for Detroit. Evan Brown, who has played both guard and center, is a free agent. And Halapoulivaati Vaitai missed most of last season, clouding his future with the team.

This contract would point to Glasgow reprising the role he began last season with: inside swingman. The Broncos used Glasgow as a Week 1 starter in 2021 and ’22, but Quinn Meinerz — Glasgow’s 2021 injury replacement — kept Denver’s first-string right guard gig this year. Glasgow, however, saw extensive run in replacing both Meinerz and center Lloyd Cushenberry. Glasgow, 30, ended up starting 13 games for the Broncos last season. Pro Football Focus rated Glasgow as the No. 27 overall center last season

In Detroit, Glasgow worked as a four-year starter. The Lions mostly used him at guard but played him at center during stretches of his rookie-contract run as well. The Lions can save $6.5MM by releasing Vaitai, who missed all of last season due to injury. That number rises a bit if Vaitai is designated as a post-June 1 cut.

Glasgow started 58 games for the Lions from 2016-19, creating a nice market. After the Broncos shed that deal from their payroll ahead of its final year, the Michigan alum will try and carve out a spot for his first NFL team.

[CGVT]

Crap, so much for Moody.

They could do worse than the Money Badger (hell, they did and it cost them games last year). They could do better too.

I don't know the details, but I think this just gets him into camp and he could be cut without much impact?

BTW, I hope Badgely sticks around. The Money Badger is a great name.

[froot loops]

You always go into camp with two kickers, so a drafted kicker isn't out of the question.

[-Deborah-]

Glasgow just looks like a 70s-era football player.

[froot loops]

Or he looks like he just walked off the set of Tombstone.

[-Deborah-]

FB_IMG_1679071635961.jpg

[Futureshock]

Glasgow just looks like a 70s-era football player.

The Porn-Stache is boss

[Futureshock]

Money Badger re-signed today.

Lions agree to terms with Michael Badgley

Posted by Myles Simmons on March 17, 2023, 12:43 PM EDT

Getty Images

Detroit is bringing back its kicker.

The Lions have agreed to terms on a new deal with Michael Badgley, according to agent Brian McLaughlin.

Badgley joined the Lions’ practice squad in early October, took over the job, and kept it through the rest of the regular season. He hit 20-of-24 field goals and all 33 of his extra points.

Badgley kicked for the Chargers from 2018-2020 before spending time with Indianapolis, Tennessee, and Chicago.

He’s connected on 81.7 percent of his career field goals and 96.9 percent of his extra points.

[Mainevent]

Ha, I was just thinking Glasgow looked Alex Karras as Mongo.

[Mainevent]

Glasgow only pawn in game of life.

[ghandi]

"He hit 20-of-24 field goals and all 33 of his extra points."

After teh kicking woes this team has had over the years, I will take these stats.....I know he doesnt have the strongest leg in the league, but he has been pretty reliable.

[Topweasel]

Crap, so much for Moody.

Not that I value Moody, but I don't think signing Bagely means anything other then the Lions didn't like the current kicker market.

Holmes has shown a sever aversion to feeling forced into a decision. The Lions now have a kicker that they know and can to some degree rely on, that doesn't mean that they won't make a decision if they see value in the draft, that doesn't mean they won't bring in a UDFA to have a legit shot to win the job. It just means going into the draft they aren't desperate to make sure they get a kicker.

[Cody_Russell]

Lions had a kicker training camp battle in both years since moving on from Prater. It’s the norm.

2021 - Randy Bullock vs Zane Gonzalez. (Eventually settling on Riley Patterson)
2022 - Austin Seibert vs Riley Patterson. (Eventually settling on Michael Badgley)

[Futureshock]

Kickers are important

[Futureshock]

Roster impact of the Lions signing IOL Graham Glasgow


The Detroit Lions were able to upgrade their offensive line and return a fan favorite—all in one signing.

By Erik Schlitt@erikschlitt Mar 17, 2023, 7:00am EDT

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
On Thursday, the Detroit Lions brought back a fan-favorite to the roster when they signed interior offensive lineman Graham Glasgow to a one-year deal worth up to $4.5 million.

Originally drafted by the Lions in the third round (pick No. 95) of the 2016 NFL Draft, Glasgow has 91 career starts spread out among all three of the interior offensive line positions. Glasgow’s experience and positional versatility set the floor very high for what his role could be in Detroit.

As a player, Glasgow is a balanced lineman. He is solid as both a pass and run blocker, can get out and pull in the Lions’ gap scheme, and can tap into a mean streak when he is on the field. Beyond his positional versatility, his experience at center makes him a highly cerebral player who understands the facets of offensive line play that centers need to thrive. His experience and intelligence make him a plug-and-play player.

Graham Glasgow will be a highly sought-after UFA this off-season. I studied all of his snaps (872) in '19 (798 at RG/74 at C) & came away most impressed w/his play strength, anchor, & craftiness using his hands.

Full 12-minute highlight tape: https://t.co/LGYQwt5k1v

️Preview pic.twitter.com/zUaLus3mbH

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) January 9, 2020

Off the field, Glasgow is calm and deliberate. He takes his time when speaking to the media and has a laid-back honesty that is appreciated. In fact, you’ll find that same exact overall attitude in two other Lions offensive linemen: Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow, who happen to be two of Glasgow’s closest friends. Decker and Glasgow came into the league together and played alongside each other for four years, while Glasgow and Ragnow played literally hip-to-hip for two years as well.

Simply put, there should be almost zero chemistry issues when Glasgow takes the field, regardless of where he lines up.

What’s Glasgow’s role?

Let’s start with his floor. After losing former swing/starter IOL Evan Brown to the Seahawks, Glasgow is his direct replacement, and arguably an upgrade. Offensive linemen get dinged up in the NFL and Glasgow should be, at a minimum, the top backup at all three interior spots.

As far as his ceiling, Glasgow has the potential to be the Lions' Day 1 starter at right guard. With current starting right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai's health in question—he missed all of last season with a back injury—and a bloated cap hit (just under $12.5M in 2023), it’s possible the Lions make a tough decision to move on. But even if Vaitai is healthy and the Lions are comfortable with his cap status, he will still have to hold off Glasgow, which will be a tall order.

Will the Lions continue to add to the position?

The Lions prefer to head into camp with 15 offensive linemen so that they can roll three lines through practices. At this time, Glasgow’s addition brings them up to 12 linemen—so they will likely be on the lookout to add three more players.

Now, it’s possible the Lions dip back into free agency to add another player or two, but history shows the Lions would likely prefer to add rookies into those roles. While the Lions typically add a few undrafted offensive linemen each offseason, looking for a diamond in the rough, there’s a real possibility the Lions draft a lineman—and potentially use a high pick to do so.

Glasgow is on a one-year deal, Vaitai’s situation still has a few obstacles to overcome, and the long-term depth still needs to prove itself. Add in the fact that Pro Bowl left guard Jonah Jackson is in the final year of his rookie contract and is headed for a big payday, and the Lions might want their 2024 starting right guard to be on a rookie contract to help keep costs low amongst the position group.