Detroit Lions Release Stevan Ridley from Running Back Competition

The Detroit Lions have thinned out their crowded field of running backs in a surprise move by releasing veteran Stevan Ridley.

With Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick set atop the Detroit Lions’ running back depth chart, Stevan Ridley, Dwayne Washington, George Winn and Zach Zenner were likely competing for two roster spots. That four-man battle for two jobs is now down to a three-man battle after the release of Ridley.

The move comes as a surprise, but more because of the timing. Ridley had fallen behind in the competition with his peers based on preseason playing time. Zenner has consitently played behind Riddick while Washington has been on of the team’s bright spots through two preseason games.

NFL rosters don’t get pared down until next week but a move like this is not uncommon as a courtesy to veteran players who have fallen out of their team’s plans. Cutting Ridley free now gives him more time to find a better opportunity elsewhere.

Ridley had $250,000 of his salary guaranteed when he signed with the Lions in the offseason. They will now carry that as dead money against their cap but it actually does little to change their overall salary cap situation.

Consider this “Ridley or Washington” scenario.

Had Ridley made the team, he would have had a total cap hit of $680,000 and the Lions would be on the hook for $75,764 in dead money for cutting Washington. Consider that a total cap charge of $755,764 for that roster spot.

Assuming Washington will now make the team, he will have a total cap hit of $468,941 for the 2016 season. Add the dead money from Ridley’s deal on top of that for an effective cap hit of $718,941.

$250,000 might seem like a big guarantee to eat, but it really doesn’t mean anything when looking at the bigger picture.

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Zenner was already looking like a safe bet to make the team but clearing Ridley out of the picture only makes that projection more clear. Washington will need to continue to impress but he seems to have the inside track on Winn.