The Detroit Lions are turning their attention to the offseason after falling short of their Super Bowl goal, and the harsh reality is some players won't return to the team next season
While the Lions were a quality team before the playoff loss, a postseason disappointment will always bring the desire to retool. Fortunately, the Lions will have plenty of draft capitol as well as sitting top-10 in the league in cap space right now.
In spite of that, Bleacher Report has made some early suggestions for potential cap casualties to clear more cap space.
"The Lions are in decent shape with 2025 cap space, so they might decide not to cut anyone for cap purposes. If they want to make a run at some free agents or clear cap to re-sign their own players, though, then D.J. Reader could be a candidate. They stand to create $8 million in cap space if they were to release the veteran nose tackle."
"With Levi Onwuzurike set to hit free agency this could be seen as a way of keeping him and Alim McNeill together for the foreseeable future. Reader will be 31 next season and is generally a part-time player."
Reader played 53 percent of the Lions' defensive snaps in the 15 regular season games he played this year, hence the "generally a part-time player" label he was given. But while his surface stats don't leap off the page (three sacks, 23 total tackles), Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-40 defensive tackle in the league. The Lions might not want to eliminate a veteran defender just to save nearly $8 million. They could bring Onwuzurike back without cutting Reader.
Related: 5 players who won't be back with the Lions next season
Reader isn't the only big name Bleacher Report suggests the Lions could look to ditch.
"The Lions' pile of cornerback injuries has given Amik Robertson the chance to shine as a cornerback who can play on the inside and outside."
"The offseason will give the Lions a chance to re-evaluate the whole position group, though. Carlton Davis is set to become a free agent, and the Lions have young talents in Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. It's possible the Lions may see the $4.8 million they could clear by cutting Robertson as worth dropping the defensive back."
Releasing Robertson would come with some risk. He flourished in Detroit's defensive scheme this year, and he stepped up as a perimeter corner when Carlton Davis was sidelined by a broken jaw. The arm injury Robertson suffered in the playoff loss to the Commanders adds a potential layer there, but a 6-8 week recovery time table is not going to impact his availability for OTAs. Getting rid of a versatile corner who proved to be a great culture fit would be questionable.
The Lions won't be forced to make cuts to clear cap space, but if they want to become players for some bigger moves there are a few options-however bold they are, and fairly unlikely they feel right now.