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Riley Reiff: 5 best fits in NFL free agency

By Parker Hurley

Aug 20, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Detroit Lions tackle Riley Reiff (71) prepares to block Washington Redskins linebacker Preston Smith (94) during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 20, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Detroit Lions tackle Riley Reiff (71) prepares to block Washington Redskins linebacker Preston Smith (94) during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Riley Reiff will be an interesting case on the open market this offseason. What is his value, and who would sign the free agent tackle?

The demand and market for Riley Reiff could be anywhere. To start, you have a player with pedigree. This is a former first round pick. He also has started every season since his rookie year and has 69 career starts in 77 games played. That is a pretty consistent bill of health to go with his pedigree.

Additionally, tackle is in a position of need across the league. However, last season the Lions moved him from left tackle to right to bring in rookie Taylor Decker. Whether it is fair or not, right tackles tend to see a bit less money. The question now will be if the league views him as a right tackle moving forward, or if they assume he can slot back into the left side. Here are five teams who may take a crack at Riley Reiff.

5. New York Jets

Left tackle or right, this team needs tackle help in the worst way. Breno Giacomini has been starting in the league for too long and just doesn’t have the talent to back it up. On top of that, the Jets left tackle situation blew up in their face last season. D’Brickashaw Ferguson retired, and they thought that they could slot Ryan Clady right in and find success. However, a career full of injury finally caught up to Clady, and he looked completely washed up when he was on the field in 2017.

The Jets have a club option on Clady, and every thought is that they will not be looking to bring him back. This means that they need any sort of help at tackle. If any team is going to potentially overspend to bring him back to the left side, it is the Jets. Reiff could certainly see the money, and the chance to find himself under the spotlight and in a prominent role and be very interested.

Reiff is still 28 years old, and while he was an average player when on the left side, he was still better than anything New York saw last season. It would be worth a shot for the Jets and could be Reiff’s best chance to bring up his reputation moving forward.

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