Multiple sources are reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai.
The deal cannot become official until the NFL 2020 new year begins on Wednesday at 4:00 PM, EST, but NFL Insider Adam Caplan was first to report the deal and included the basic terms of the deal — five years, $50 million.
Vaitai has a lot of positional versatility. He has experience playing both tackle spots, can also play guard, but is expected to be the Lions starting right tackle in 2020 and beyond — replacing the recently cut Rick Wagner, who reportedly signed on with the Green Bay Packers this afternoon.
To get an idea of how Vaitai compares to the Lions right tackles from last season here is his Pro Football Focus numbers compared to Wagner and Tyrell Crosby (who is still under contract with the Lions).
| Overall | Run Block | Pass Block | |
| Vaitai | 74.4 | 76.2 | 64.4 |
| Wagner | 59.0 | 53.9 | 60.2 |
| Crosby | 62.4 | 64.7 | 62.5 |
Vaitai has only started 20 of his 64 career NFL games but as a former 5th round pick out of TCU, that’s not unexpected. He is only 26 years old and had found success on both the right and left sides in Philadelphia — but he has been more successful filling in for an injured Lane Johnson on the right side.
