4 players the Detroit Lions may release to create additional cap space
By Bob Heyrman
The Detroit Lions are expected to continue overhauling their roster and, as it stands, will begin the offseason with about $21 million in salary-cap space, which is currently the 13th most across the NFL.
Although the Lions have money to spend and a plethora of draft capital in their back pocket, general manager Brad Holmes needs to consider making a few cuts to open up additional salary cap space heading into free agency.
The Detroit Lions have a ton of needs throughout their roster and will be looking for contributors via free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft. Holmes inherited a lackluster roster built by Bob Quinn and the incompetent, arrogant Matt Patricia.
In year one, Holmes also swung and missed a few times, especially at the receiver position. Neither of his top free-agent acquisitions survived the year last season. Breshard Perriman didn’t make the team’s Week One roster, and Tyrell Williams appeared in just one game before suffering a concussion and eventually agreeing upon an injury settlement.
Heading into his second year at the helm, I expect Holmes to leave more of a footprint on this roster, especially in free agency. Once again, the Detroit Lions will be looking for a top outside receiving threat to pair with the sensational second-year swiss army knife, Amon-Ra St. Brown. Although I don’t expect Detroit to land an elite talent like Davante Adams, I foresee Holmes attempting to sign someone like Allen Robinson or D.J. Chark.
The Detroit Lions also have needs at every level of their defense, so Holmes certainly has his work cut out for him this offseason.
Here are four players the Detroit Lions can release to free up nearly $19.5 million ahead of free agency.