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Lions guard Larry Warford, left, could leave in free agency. But the Lions have some young players ready to step in, including Graham Glasgow.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

HOUSTON -- The Detroit Lions' offensive line was better in 2016. But that's not to say it was good.

Matthew Stafford was still sacked on 6.0 percent of his dropbacks, which was 20th in the league, and the running backs were stopped at the line of scrimmage or behind it more than anybody. And they finished 30th in rushing overall.

"It was a rhythm thing," Geoff Schwartz said. "It just takes time."

Schwartz's perspective is an interesting one because he spent six years playing on NFL offensive lines, and was in camp with the Lions last year. He was cut because of the rise of the rookies, including Taylor Decker at left tackle and Graham Glasgow at guard. And Joe Dahl could be ready to push for a job in 2017 too.

Along with center Travis Swanson, who had a breakout season in 2016, Detroit appears to have a young nucleus around which to build. But they also have a lot of moving pieces, which has disrupted the chemistry. And that disruption could spill into next season too.

Right guard Larry Warford is expected to test free agency, and people around the league believe he'll land a bigger deal than general manager Bob Quinn is willing to match. He could return, but the odds appear better that he won't. And right tackle Riley Reiff is eligible to hit the market too, though there is a belief he is more likely to return than Warford.

"I wish I could tell you how long it's going to take (to gel), but they're also probably going to lose Larry and lose Riley," Schwartz said. "And it's tough to build an offensive line when you keep moving the parts around."

The Lions do have some options at guard if they lose Warford. Glasgow played well in 11 starts last year, and Dahl has impressed people around Allen Park with how he attacked transitioning from tackle to guard and from a quirky spread to Jim Bob Cooter's pro-style system. Tomlinson, a former first-round pick, could be in the mix as well.

Detroit has fewer in-house options at right tackle, and will probably look outside the organization for a replacement if they lose Reiff. Corey Robinson is the top reserve already on the roster, but was up and down in 2016. Cornelius Lucas is also on the roster.

"Riley is the most physical player in that group," Schwartz said. "He's a tough player. I really don't know what they're going to do with that. With a new GM and everything, new GMs don't typically want to keep players from old regimes. We'll just kind of see how it goes. But he's definitely the leader of that unit, so if they lose him, they'll have to establish a new leader, and Larry is a free agent too.

"If they lose both those guys, they'll have to add some new pieces. And then you're kind of back where you started with all these moving pieces."