Lions sign former Alabama, Ohio State star to free agent contract after disappointing season ends

4 days ago 2

Lions sign former Alabama, Ohio State star to free agent contract after disappointing season ends originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Detroit Lions signed a player late Tuesday who played college football at both Alabama and Ohio State.

That certainly seems like a great start to a resume.

The player is Seth McLaughlin, and the Lions announced they have signed him to a reserve/future contract. That keeps him in the Detroit building this offseason and will allow the Lions to be the first to work with him heading into the offseason programs.

McLaughlin developed into a star once he transferred from the Crimson Tide to the Buckeyes.

In 2024, he actually earned the Rimington Award, given to the top center in the entire country.

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A torn Achilles changed McLaughlin's trajectory from there.

In 2025, he went undrafted and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals after the draft.

He spent the entire season on the Bengals' practice squad and didn't see any regular season game action.

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Apparently, Cincinnati was content to let McLaughlin go, or he was ready to pursue an opportunity with a different team.

The Lions struggled to nail down the center position this season after Frank Ragnow's retirement (and subsequent failure to return from retirement).

McLaughlin has a strong enough past to suggest that he just might be able to make an impact at that position in the future for the Lions. It's a shrewd signing, for sure.