Former Arizona Cardinals nose tackle Roy Lopez is set to sign a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Tuesday.
The deal, which is worth $4.65 million, brings the interior defensive player to Detroit.
While the Cardinals initially aimed to keep the Arizona native, per Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro, Lopez will instead head to Detroit, where the Lions are coming off a season as the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
L opez just finished his second season with Arizona, tallying 1.0 sack, four tackles for loss, three passes defensed, one forced fumble, and three QB hits over 16 games (all starts) in 2024.
He would have contributed to strengthening the inside of the defensive line, especially after the Cardinals added Josh Sweat to the outside.
After playing at Mesquite High School in Gilbert and with the Arizona Wildcats, Lopez was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.
He spent two seasons with Houston, starting 29 of 33 games, before being waived/injured in 2023.
That’s when Arizona picked up the former Texan, signing him to their practice squad and promoting him to the active roster shortly after.
In 30 games (21 starts) with Arizona, Lopez recorded one sack, six tackles for loss, three passes defensed, and one forced fumble over two seasons.