The Detroit Lions waiving Cornelius Washington is not surprising at all

Cornelius Washington was the odd man out for the Detroit Lions. It is best for the player and team to move on.

Cornelius Washington was cut by the Detroit Lions today. This is an extremely unsurprising move by the team. Washington was signed to play in a different scheme, for a different coaching staff. He had already proven he wasn’t up to the new role with another franchise.

Washington played for the Bears before he came to Detroit. He played as a 3-4 defensive end, a five-technique two-gap position. The reason he is not a Bear anymore is that he never excelled in that role for the bears.

The writing was on the wall for Washington when the Lions brought in head coach Matt Patricia and defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualone. That meant that the Lions were going to need Washington to go back to the two-gap role.

Players like Anthony Zettel, Alex Barrett, Kerry Hyder, DaShawn Hand, and even Jeremiah Ledbetter had all outperformed Washington in camp. Those players along with Ziggy Ansah, A’Shawn Robinson, Sylvester Williams and Ricky Jean-Francois will likely form the Lions defensive line.

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Releasing Washington now makes sense for the team and the player. For the player, it gives him a chance to catch on elsewhere. Former Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is bringing his scheme to the Cincinnati Bengals. He might look at Washington as an option for a depth signing. Former Lions defensive line coach Kris Kocurek joined the Miami Dolphins in the same role. He may also want to kick the tires of a player he is familiar with.

For the team, it makes sense to pull the trigger as soon as possible. The move saved the Lions $2.72 million dollars in salary cap space. A serious injury to Washington in the next two weeks could have had the team liable for that entire amount. Washington is not going to be on the team, and he is not eligible for the practice squad.

This move, along with the release of CB Antwuan Davis and placing of Steve Longa on IR, opened up roster spots for CB Dexter McDougle, CB Sterling Moore, and OL Beau Nunn. Those players will now have a chance to fight for roles at positions where the Lions are thin outside players that are guaranteed to make the 53 man roster.

Next. three options to replace Steve Longa. dark

The Lions may need to look for some help along the defensive line, or at the linebacker spot. If they do not spend the cap savings, that number will carry over to next year, when the team has free agents like Ziggy Ansah and Golden Tate to deal with.

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