Credit: Detroit Free Press-USA TODAY Sports
Heading toward the offseason roster work now, here are five players the Detroit Lions could part ways with.
Brad Holmes took a smart approach in his first offseason as Detroit Lions general manager, signing free agents to mostly one-year deals knowing it would not be a winning season as a rebuild was started.
So looking to the coming offseason, which is here for them in many respects, the Lions are in good shape salary cap-wise–$33.27 million in cap space according to Over The Cap, just shy of $30.7 million right now according to Spotrac. That puts them in the top half of the league in cap space, with two first-round picks also coming in April.
But the Lions do have decisions to make, with some key players set to hit free agency. It will also be worthwhile to look at how more cap space can be created, via contract extensions or outright cuts.
The Lions wouldn’t really have to cut anyone in the pure name of more cap room. In cases where it may apply, a trade would at least bring back an asset. But let’s walk down the path of players who could be cut this offseason.
5 players the Detroit Lions could cut this offseason
5. WR Trinity Benson
In what may have been the worst move of his first year as GM, Holmes acquired Benson and a 2023 seventh-round pick for two 2022 draft picks (a fifth-rounder and a conditional seventh-rounder) late in the preseason.
Benson actually played over half of Detroit’s offensive snaps this season (51 percent), not that anyone noticed as he registered 10 catches for 103 yards. Oh, but did he play a lot on special teams? Nope, just two special teams snaps.
Benson is under contract for $825,000 in 2022. The Lions can clear that money completely off their books by cutting him, and though it won’t make much difference cap-wise it feels like a certainty they’ll do so just based on roster numbers at wide receiver.