Detroit Lions 2026 Free Agency Recap: Medical Concerns & Contract Details
How healthy are the free agent additions heading into the season?
The Detroit Lions are attempting to rectify the major injury problems of the past two seasons by adding healthy players this offseason. It’s nearing the end of May and the main additions of 2026 NFL free agency are complete. That makes it a good time for a recap.
The following is a list of the Lions’ free agent additions ranked my medical concern level. Included are contract details and a brief injury history. Click on each player name for the detailed medical report.
(Note: The free agent medical concern levels are scored relative to each other in the free agent pool and shouldn’t be directly compared to the NFL draft prospects’ concern levels.)
Detroit Lions 2026 Free Agency Medical Concern Level Chart
Average concern level = 3.7/10
Median concern level = 3/10
Average age = 27.9
Quick Takeaways of Lions 2026 Free Agency
The Lions generally stayed on the lower end of the medical concern spectrum. Only 6 of 26 players were a level 6/10 or higher.
Only rarely did they dip into the high concern pool with players coming off season-ending injuries.
The average age of 27.9 is comfortably below 30, and a good spot to be for the free agent pool. Only 7 of 26 players were age 30 or over.
The Lions minimized risk by giving only 1-year deals to every player except Cade Mays.
(Age at start of 2026 season.) Contract info via Spotrac.com and Overthecap.com.
LOW CONCERN
🟢Thomas Gordon, TE (26)
Medical concern level: 0/10 - Clean
Contract: 1 year, $885,000 with $0 guaranteed
🟢Cade Mays, C (27)
Medical concern level: 1/10 - Ankle, shoulder
Contract: 3 years, up to $25 million with $14 million guaranteed
🟢Trevor Nowaske, LB (27)
Medical concern level: 1/10 - Elbow, concussion
Contract: 1 year, $1.35M with $550,000 guaranteed
🟢Myles Adams, DT (28)
Medical concern level: 1/10 - Clean
Contract: 1 year, $1.145M with $0 guaranteed
🟢Tom Kennedy, WR (30)
Medical concern level: 1/10 - Clean
Contract: 1 year, $1.234 million with $20K guaranteed
🟢Teddy Bridgewater, QB (33)
Medical concern level: 1/10 - Remote knee dislocation
Contract: 1 year, $1.4M fully guaranteed
🟢Rock Ya-Sin, CB (30)
Medical concern level: 2/10 - Knee
Contract: 1 year, , up to $4M with $2.64M guaranteed
🟢Greg Dortch, WR (28)
Medical concern level: 2/10 - Chest, intestinal tract perforation.
Contract: 1 year, $1.4M with $1.075M guaranteed
🟢Roger McCreary, CB (26)
Medical concern level: 2/10 - Groin/hip, shoulder, hamstring.
Contract: 1 year, up to 1.4M with $987,500 guaranteed
🟢Tyler Conklin, TE (31)
Medical concern level: 2/10 - Jones fracture
Contract: 1 year, $1.3M with $0 guaranteed
🟢Christian Izien, CB/S (26)
Medical concern level: 2/10 - Oblique, quad, pec, groin
Contract: 1 year, up to $2M with $1M guaranteed
🟢DJ Wonnum, EDGE (28)
Medical concern level: 3/10 - Quad tear with surgery & severe complications, minor hip, ankle surgeries
Contract: 1 year, up to $3M with $2.27M guaranteed
🟢Chuck Clark, S (31)
Medical concern level: 3/10 - Ankle, pec tear, ACL
Contract: 1 year, $1.49M with $50,000 guaranteed
🟢Larry Borom, OG/OT (27)
Medical concern level: 3/10 - Ankle, knee, concussion, high ankle
Contract: 1 year, up to $5M with $4.9M guaranteed
🟢Jake Bates, K (27)
Medical concern level: 3/10 - Banged-up in 2025
Contract: 1 year, $1.075M with $150,000 guaranteed
MEDIUM CONCERN
🟡Malcolm Rodriguez, LB (27)
Medical concern level: 4/10 - ACL
Contract: 1 year, up to $2.75M with $2.7M guaranteed
🟡Damone Clark, LB (26)
Medical concern level: 5/10 - Cervical spine fusion, knee
Contract: 1 year, $1.4M with $75,000 guaranteed
🟡Avonte Maddox, S (30)
Medical concern level: 5/10 - Hamstring, back, pec surgery, toe surgery, knee, concussion/neck
Contract: 1 year, $1.3M with $500,000 guaranteed
🟡Juice Scruggs, OG/C (26)
Medical concern level: 5/10 - Foot, L3 vertebra fracture
Contract: Via trade. Signed through the 2026 season with $1.58M base salary
🟡Joe Bachie, LB (28)
Medical concern level: 5/10 - Toe, groin, hip, oblique, ACL
Contract: 1 year, $1.215M with $0 guaranteed
🟡Isiah Pacheco, RB (27)
Medical concern level: 6/10 - MCL, fibula fracture, rib, shoulder surgeries, concussion, toe/ankle, hand fracture.
Contract: 1 year, $1.81 million fully guaranteed plus undisclosed incentives
🟡Seth McLaughlin, C (25)
Medical concern level: 6/10 - Achilles
Contract: 1 year, $885,000 with $0 guaranteed
🟡Cedrick Wilson, WR (30)
Medical concern level: 6/10 - Recent knee surgery, recurrent shoulder injuries, many minor issues
Contract: pending
HIGH CONCERN
🔴Jay Tufele, DT (27)
Medical concern level: 7/10 - Season-ending foot injury, hand surgery, remote foot ligament.
Contract: 1 year, up to $1.215M with $0 guaranteed
🔴Ben Bartch, OL (28)
Medical concern level: 9/10 - Season-ending Lisfranc surgery, high ankle sprain, dislocated knee.
Contract: 1 year, $1.21M with $330,300 guaranteed
🔴Payton Turner, DE (27)
Medical concern level: 10/10 - Rib fracture, toe dislocation & torn ligaments with surgery, knee, low ankle sprain, chest, shoulder, foot, ACL.
Contract: 1 year, $1.145M with $0 guaranteed
For a health comparison of Lions offseason additions vs subtractions in free agency…