3 Lions Who Must Be Cut This Offseason

Super Bowl 59 goes down in less than two weeks and the Detroit Lions, unfortunately, won't be a part of the action. Dan Campbell's team was eliminated by the Washington Commanders in the Division Round, forcing the Lions to watch the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs duke it out in New Orleans on Feb. 9.

Needless to say, it's going to be interesting to see how the Lions will navigate the NFL offseason. General manager Brad Holmes has about $58 million in cap space to address any pressing needs, per Spotrac, and more money and roster spaces can be freed up by axing some unappealing contracts.

With that in mind, here are three Lions who must be cut this offseason.

1. Za'Darius Smith, DE

Acquired from the Cleveland Browns ahead of the NFL trade deadline, Za'Darius Smith's presence was supposed to help take the Lions' defense to the next level. Unfortunately, the former three-time Pro Bowler didn't exactly live up to expectations.

Although he managed to record four sacks in eight regular-season appearances with the Lions, Smith's seven solo tackles along the way left much to be desired. It's even more disappointing considering how he registered more than twice as many solo efforts (15) in one more game with the Browns in 2024.

Smith's Detroit tenure reached a new low in the Division Round loss to the Commanders. The 6-goot-4 finished the elimination game as one of the Lions' worst defenders, with Pro Football Focus grading him 24.8 for tackling, 27.9 for run stoppage, and 39.8 for overall defense.

Smith is set to carry a $4 million cap hit next season and even though that isn't a massive number, parting ways could benefit the Lions. After all, the Montgomery, AL native is due nearly $9 million in bonuses next month and Detroit might not be keen to pay him that based on his playoff blunder.

With a buyout freeing up $4 million in cap space, don't be shocked if Smith is cut at some point this offseason.