It’s always difficult for executives and decision makers during the NFL offseason. Teams will need to make difficult choices about their existing rosters as they start to prepare for their 2024 championship runs. Before free agency, general manager Brad Holmes of the Detroit Lions now has about $48 million in effective cap space. He can raise that total, though, if he releases players before free agency opens on March 13. Holmes and company will have difficult choices to make about cap casualties because Detroit’s roster is comprised of players that mesh well with the team’s ethos.
It remains to be seen which course the Lions decide to take in terms of free agency and roster building this summer. There are methods for the team to generate additional cap space, though, if they want to spend heavily on the open market. Following an analysis of Detroit’s salary cap position in the summer, the team will be able to free up an additional $21 million in cap space by making four roster changes. Tracy Walker III, a safety, and offensive tackle Taylor Decker are two experienced players with significant potential cap savings. The Lions’ cap space would increase to $15.3 million if both players were released.
After quarterback Jared Goff, Decker and Walker rank second and third in terms of cap hits for 2024, respectively. To be sure, this is incredibly implausible in Decker’s case. As the left tackle, he has been a pillar of the team, guarding QB Josh Green’s blindside, and he is considered one of the team’s major leaders.
Walker, on the other hand, was reduced to a special teams and bench player until being declared a healthy scratch at the end of the previous campaign. Although the team moved on to Ifeatu Melifonwu late in the season, Melifonwu made a strong case to be a starting secondary player the next season. He started six games this season.
Two defensive line moves elsewhere might save up more cap space. Levi Onwuzurike, a defensive tackle selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, has not had a very impressive debut. Releasing the Washington product this offseason would result in cap savings of just less than $1.8 million. Onwuzurike might be difficult to let go of because he still has the ability to have a significant influence on the Lions. Nevertheless, he appeared in just 10 games throughout the regular season and was occasionally a healthy scratch. The Lions have the option to let go of Brodric Martin, who is still developing, and Alim McNeill, who has star potential. Nevertheless, in the few photos he did take, he did exhibit signs of growth that point to 2024.
defensive end Another player with potential cap savings is John Cominsky. Cominsky’s departure from the Lions would free approximately $4.5 million. Cominsky’s sack total decreased from four in 2022 to two in 2023, which resulted in a decline in his output. Additionally, he had his tackle and tackles for loss totals dropped. These four actions provide the Lions the flexibility to pursue a major free agency acquisition or to free up additional funds for extensions.
All four, though, play significant roles in the team’s culture, which would make choices like these very challenging. It will be interesting to see how Holmes and the Lions’ staff handle the salary cap throughout this offseason.
All four, though, play significant roles in the team’s culture, which would make choices like these very challenging. It will be interesting to see how Holmes and the Lions’ staff handle the salary cap throughout this offseason.
All four, though, play significant roles in the team’s culture, which would make choices like these very challenging. It will be interesting to see how Holmes and the Lions’ staff handle the salary cap throughout this offseason.