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The Lions have signed wide receiver Cedrick Wilson in free agency

The Detroit Lions have been hard at work revamping their roster this offseason after they missed out on the playoffs entirely in 2025. While the Lions have a lot of right pieces in place already, they need to find a way to shore up their areas of weakness if they want to come out on top in what figures to be a very competitive NFC North division.

With the 2026 NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, Detroit has likely completed the majority of its work this offseason. However, the front office is still skimming free agency for some potential diamonds in the rough, and that led to them signing former Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Cedrick Wilson on Wednesday afternoon.

Lions Sign Cedrick Wilson in Free Agency

On the offensive side of the ball, the Lions certainly aren’t lacking when it comes to playmakers for quarterback Jared Goff. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are one of the top wide receiver tandems in the league, while both Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta are stars at the running back and tight end positions, respectively.

At wide receiver, though, Detroit struggled to get much production beyond St. Brown and Williams. Isaac TeSlaa showed flashes of his potential, but he struggled with his consistency, which led to Kalif Raymond, who has largely been a return specialist throughout his career, earning more snaps than expected as the No. 3 wide receiver.

Wilson has had a rough past couple of seasons, as he seemed to enjoy a breakout campaign back in 2021 with the Cowboys (45 REC, 602 YDS, 6 TD). After that season, though, he departed in free agency, and he’s struggled to find his footing since then. Wilson has spent the past couple of months on the open market, but he finally managed to find a new home with the Lions, as they signed him to a deal on Wednesday.

“Lions have signed veteran WR Cedrick Wilson,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported in a post on X.

Cedrick Wilson Could Be a Sneaky Addition for the Lions

GettyThe Lions have signed wide receiver Cedrick Wilson in free agency

While the emergence of Williams as a legitimate No. 2 option alongside St. Brown has been great, they have missed a guy like Josh Reynolds, who left after the 2023 campaign, who could operate in the middle of the field on intermediate routes. Wilson isn’t exactly the poster child for consistency, but he was at his best with the Cowboys when he was occupying the space that was freed up for him by the likes of Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb.

Considering how Wilson caught just five passes for 44 yards last season, there is no guarantee he will even make it through training camp with Detroit. If he proves he can pick up the offense quickly, though, he could quickly earn a role as a secondary playmaker for the Lions. This isn’t the flashiest addition this team has ever made, but Wilson is a good low-risk, high-reward signing who could make a serious impact if he can find a way to earn himself some snaps.