The Lions will let one of their depth pieces hit the open market.
Detroit will not tender offensive lineman Matt Nelson, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero. That means Nelson will go from restricted to unrestricted free agent when the new league year hits next week.
Nelson joined the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He made his debut in 2020, appearing in all 16 games, though mainly on special teams. He then started 11 games in 2021, playing 675 offensive snaps.
But in 2022, he appeared in 11 games and did not make a start. He played 70 offensive snaps and 62 special teams snaps.
