On Monday night, news broke that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with veteran guard Kevin Zeitler on a one-year deal. Zeitler will likely step into a starting position—almost certainly right guard—giving the Lions offensive line a potential starting five again after losing Jonah Jackson in free agency.
Zeitler is a 12-year NFL veteran, meaning he brings a ton of experience to Detroit. In fact, according to Pro Football Reference, Zeitler’s 181 career starts rank 13th among all active NFL players (no longer including Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox).
The addition makes sense on a lot of levels, and even though we don’t exactly know the terms of the deal yet, the Lions are already receiving a ton of national praise for the move.
Let’s take a look at some of the immediate reactions to the addition across Twitter.
First, here’s some insight from former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, who points out that the veteran guard’s character will be a perfect fit with Dan Campbell and company:
Kevin Zeitler is the embodiment of a “bite off knee caps” type of player. The man was doing pass blocking sets at the hospital while his wife was in labor. He will fit right in there in Detroit. https://t.co/xH5uKwXvKg pic.twitter.com/LWXxURN2LF
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) March 18, 2024
Now some more general praise from a ton of national analysts:
Absolutely love this move. Brad Holmes is very good at this GM-ing thing https://t.co/Xposd7jaTn
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) March 18, 2024
Perfect signing. Lions have managed their OL situation perfectly this offseason https://t.co/sKmSKNv2tO
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) March 18, 2024
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) March 18, 2024Kevin Zeitler has had a Ring Of Honor type of career.
He just split it between 5 teams and that'll keep it from ever happening.
Very good and durable player. pic.twitter.com/N7gcdoE9nO
— Pedro H. Rhormes (@rhormes_) March 18, 2024Not gonna lie, I absolutely ENVY the Detroit Lions offensive line right now:
LT - Taylor Decker
LG - Graham Glasgow
C - Frank Ragnow
RG - Kevin Zeitler
RT - Penei SewellThat's some nasty work. Evil O-Line. https://t.co/VmIq04n9hA
Lions building incredible depth and positioning to take the best available players on draft weekend https://t.co/thxbDN0pQp
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) March 18, 2024
Here’s some high praise PLUS a five-minute clip of Brian Baldinger breaking down Zeitler’s play:
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) March 18, 2024Kevin Zeitler is an outstanding signing by DET
pass block grades as a Raven:
#2 of 83 in 2023
#4 of 84 in 2022
#4 of 88 in 2022plus he’s durable
15+ starts in 9 straight yrs
here’s 5 mins of Baldy salivating over his game when BAL first landed himpic.twitter.com/sr400Vhpox
Oh, and here’s Lions superfan/former Lions running back Kerryon Johnson’s thoughts on the move and the job general manager Brad Holmes has been doing.
I ain’t like the TJ move…..but they been in they bag ever since https://t.co/muRzhxNODp
— Kerryon Johnson (@CoachKerryon) March 19, 2024
Now let’s look locally. For weeks, I had been hoping for a Kevin Zeitler signing, and it sure looks like the feeling was very much mutual among Lions fans and analysts. Lions' Twitter exploded in excitement when the news dropped on Monday night. Here’s a look at some of the best responses.
— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) March 18, 2024Jonah Jackson is known as a stronger run blocker than pass protector (2022 70.3 Run Block Grade, 2021 76.4 Run Block Grade).
Meanwhile, Kevin Zeitler has had a Top 4 OG Pass Blocking Grade the last three seasons including the 2nd Best Grade in 2023 with an 82.3.
I’ll settle for… https://t.co/oQrMMbfNPI
— Meko (@themekoscott) March 18, 2024Great get by the Lions! But I do wonder if this means we see Graham switch to LG next season.
Zeitler has been in the league for 12 yrs but according to PFF has only played 2 snaps at LG https://t.co/9HaTOMpebk pic.twitter.com/L7RDtU2gJd
— Lukas Klotz (@1ukasklotz) March 18, 2024I absolutely love the signing of OG Kevin Zeitler for the Detroit Lions.
Another 1 year deal to a veteran who DESERVES it. Zeitler has been one of the best and most consistent guards in football over the last decade.
Great Jonah Jackson replacement, a menace in the run game,… pic.twitter.com/jtAhqk5Umg
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) March 19, 2024the lions have done a good job of making sure they don't have any immediate holes headed into the draft this offseason
carlton davis, marcus davenport, dj reader and kevin zeitler all won't move the needle a ton but they were all in positions the lions didn't have great depth at…
