Lions: Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson Not Only Players with Uncertain Futures
By Zac Snyder
Oct 25, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions running back
(35) carries the ball during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit loves a feel good story and Joique Bell was just that. A Michigan native and college football star at Wayne State who went from working security at Ford Field to the Lions’ starting running back.
Bell is now in his third straight season averaging less than four yards per carry. That’s not going to cut it. Zach Zenner‘s preseason success didn’t roll into the regular season but he offers a similar skill set to Bell but in a younger body with more upside and at a cheaper price tag.
Bell has one more season left on his current deal and while the cap hit of $3.5 million isn’t outrageous, it is hard to justify compared to Zach Zenner’s cap hit of barely more than half a million dollars. Cutting Bell would leave $1 million in dead money to free $2.5 million in cap space.
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