Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

NFL free agency opens in a little more than two weeks, and the Detroit Lions need help at a myriad of positions on both sides of the ball. Here is the third in a series of position-by-position breakdowns of the top players available in free agency.

Offensive line

The Lions began overhauling their offensive line last spring, when they took three linemen in the first five rounds of the draft. And that process is expected to continue this off-season, with right tackle Riley Reiff and right guard Larry Warford being free agents. Warford had the better season of the two in 2016 and will be one of the top interior linemen available in free agency. But with young backups Joe Dahl and Laken Tomlinson waiting in the wings, signs point to Warford hitting the open market. Reiff’s future is a little more uncertain, with only Corey Robinson behind him. He’s a serviceable right tackle who played on the left side at the start of his career.

If the Lions don’t want to pay what Reiff will command in free agency and aren’t quite sold on Robinson, they could take a flyer on New England's Sebastian Vollmer, whom GM Bob Quinn knows well from his days with the Patriots. Vollmer missed all of last season with a hip injury but can be an effective player if healthy. Also expected to hit the market are experienced tackles Ryan Clady (N.Y. Jets) and Kelvin Beachum (Jacksonville Jaguars). Both players primarily have played left tackle, but reportedly had their 2017 contract options declined. No matter what happens in free agency, expect the Lions to add at least one more lineman in a draft that appears to lack elite options up front.

On the roster: OT Taylor Decker, Corey Robinson, Matt Rotheram; OG Graham Glasgow, Laken Tomlinson, Joe Dahl, Brandon Thomas; C Travis Swanson.

Pending free agents: OT Riley Reiff, Cornelius Lucas*; OG Larry Warford, Garrett Reynolds.

*Restricted free agent

Top OT free agents

• Ricky Wagner, Baltimore Ravens: Wagner is the best combination of youth and talent among pending free agent offensive linemen. He’s a solid pass-blocking right tackle who has started all but three games the over the last three seasons. The Ravens have less salary cap space than all but four teams, so it might be difficult for them to keep Wagner.

• Andrew Whitworth, Cincinnati Bengals: A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Whitworth is the best left tackle on the market. Whitworth has said he’d like to return to Cincinnati, and the Bengals can’t afford to lose him after letting Andre Smith go last year. At 35, he probably has more value to the Bengals than other teams. With Decker locked in at left tackle, the Lions won’t be in the Whitworth sweepstakes, even if he’s available.

• Riley Reiff, Lions: Reiff isn’t quite at the level of Wagner nor Whitworth, but he has been a solid player in his first five NFL seasons and comes without some of the injury and age concerns of other free agent linemen. It makes sense for the Lions to bring him back, given the makeup of their offense and some of the other options available, but Reiff might be able to top the Lions' best offer elsewhere.

Three more names to watch: Vollmer, New England Patriots; Beachum, Jacksonville Jaguars; Earl Watford, Arizona Cardinals (played OT and OG).

Top interior OL free agents

• Kevin Zeitler, Bengals: Zeitler, by most accounts, is the top guard on the market. He turns 27 next month, hasn’t missed a start the last two seasons and is coming off of a fine year. But like the Lions, the Bengals have potential replacements waiting in the wings, and that makes it seem as though Zeitler will hit the market. If he does, expect a guard-needy team such as the Cardinals or Jaguars to hand him a large check.

• T.J. Lang, Green Bay Packers: The Michigan native has been a staple of the Packers’ offensive line for the last eight seasons, but there’s a chance he could be blocking for someone else in 2017. He’s coming off of a Pro Bowl season but has battled injuries of late and turns 30 this fall. He said on SiriusXM NFL radio this month that he hasn’t heard from the Packers about his future. If he does hit the market, he won’t lack for suitors.

• Larry Warford, Lions: Warford has been a solid player for the Lions when healthy, and he arguably was the team’s most consistent lineman last season. But it’s a simple fact of the NFL that some players become too expensive to keep. The Lions might be at that point with Warford, which is a credit both to his growth and to the job the front office has done putting potential replacements in the pipeline before they’re needed.

Three more names to watch: Ronald Leary, Dallas Cowboys; J.C. Tretter, Green Bay Packers; Tim Lelito, New Orleans Saints.

Previous free agency previews

• Wide receivers/tight ends

• Running backs

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!