Free Agent Focus with Insider insight: OT Gosder Cherilus

Aside from have a truly fantastic name, Gosder Cherilus seems to be the player Lions fans have loved to hate. Or perhaps one of the many. But actually, he has played considerably well last season at the right tackle position. He was in the top ten in pass efficiency among tackles (96.3) but it was his run blocking that was lacking.

NFL scouts should have no difficulty recognizing his pass blocking prowess which could make Cherilus a hot commodity however with some higher profile tackles on the market, he could wind up being a steal for a team like theRaiders who are looking to upgrade their right tackle position.

Here is what Sean Yuille of Lions blog, Pride of Detroit had to say:

Gosder Cherilus has been the Lions' starting right tackle since being drafted in 2008. There have been moments where he was briefly benched because of a dumb penalty or inconsistent play (most recently in 2011), but that wasn't an issue last season. He had by far the best year of his career, which was good timing since he is a free agent this offseason. For that reason alone, his value has gone up, and if I had to guess right now, I'd say he ends up somewhere else next season. The Lions have Riley Reiff ready to enter the starting lineup, so they can afford to lose Cherilus, and quite frankly, the limited cap room they have needs to be spent elsewhere.

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