Getty Brad Holmes speaking during the 2022 NFL combine.
Entering into the offseason, the focus for plenty of Detroit Lions fans will be how much money the team has to spend and what kind of upgrades they could make.
At this point of the offseason, Detroit already has gotten off to a decent start in terms of their salary cap situation. However, things could always get better and the team could free up more money with which to operate and take the next step.
How Detroit would do that has become an interesting topic in recent days, and recently, OverTheCap.com may have provided a perfect roadmap to getting that done. As Twitter user Devoted to Detroit showed in a tweet, the site gave a guide to the Lions being able to open up a ton of cash.
All it would take would be a handful of moves including a few releases to get the Lions to a position where they can reshape their roster more powerfully.
According to t.co/TyHwT8usWk, the #Lions can create an additional $48.2M in cap space with 6 moves:
• T Decker Extension
• R Okwara Restructure
• J Goff Restructure
• M Brockers Cut
• H Vaitai Cut
• C Harris Cut
Total Cap Space: $62.1M
“According to Over The Cap, the Lions can create an additional $48.2M in cap space with six moves: Taylor Decker extension. Romeo Okwara restructure. Jared Goff restructure. Michael Brockers cut. Halapoulivaati Vaitai cut. Charles Harris cut. Total cap space: $62.1M,” he tweeted.
If the Lions made those moves, they could have plenty of money to spend in order to reshape their roster in a dramatic way and check off some of their biggest needs. The Lions have multiple free agents they need to think about bringing back in important spots including running back Jamaal Williams, defensive linemen Isaiah Buggs and John Cominsky and perhaps wideout DJ Chark.
As of right now, Detroit’s tighter cap situation might make it tough for them to make a few game-changing additions in addition to re-signing their key free agents, but they could get to that point if they had $62 million in reserves instead of close to $14 million.
Moves are likely to come, and reality says that Detroit’s plan isn’t going to involve being this bold. It is fair to say, though, that the front office is likely to have a plan in terms of releases and restructures to perhaps free up more needed cash to be able to make a few bigger splashes.
For right now, it simply shows that there is a way for the Lions to make some wiggle room.
Positions Lions Might Target in Free Agency in 2023
Detroit has a lot of heavy lifting to do this offseason, and could see the majority of help needed on the defensive side of the ball relative to their struggles there.
The Lions finished 32nd in total defense this past season and struggled against both the run and the pass. Against the run, they finished 29th with a total of 2,491 yards allowed and 22 touchdowns.
With this in mind, getting help along the defensive line and specifically at defensive tackle would be a good idea for Detroit. Any available defensive tackles are sure to generate free agent interest from the team given needs for upgrades there. That’s similar at linebacker given their role against the run and the pass, too.
In terms of options there, Lavonte David and Da’Ron Payne could be the biggest names at linebacker and in the trenches the team could look at targeting.
In the secondary, cornerback could be on the menu for the Lions early and often due to the fact that the team finished 30th in the league in pass defense, allowing 4,179 yards through the air. Any available veteran cornerbacks that fit the scheme are sure to attract interest from the team as a result of this.
Already, some have projected the Lions to perhaps be interested in players like Jamel Dean and James Bradberry.
Detroit could take a swing on offense with a free agent tight end such as Mike Gesicki, buy beyond that position, it doesn’t seem the Lions need to make that as big a priority as some other spots, especially on the defense.
Potential Lions Offseason Cuts
While Detroit’s expected cap total is near the top of the league right now already, the reality is, things could get even better for the Lions if they decided to change things up and follow this path.
Leaving quarterback Jared Goff out of the matter, the Lions could still choose to make multiple cuts that could bump their cap total up even higher and allow them to compete for even more free agents on the open market.
Right now, the most obvious player that could be shown the door is offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai. While Vaitai had a solid 2021 season in Detroit, he has battled injuries most of his career with the Lions, and was shelved with a back injury most of 2022 at 30. That allowed other guards such as Evan Brown and Logan Stenberg to develop. Cutting Vaitai would save the Lions $9.4 million, but would come with a $5.89 million dead cap hit.
In addition to Vaitai, another veteran might be jettisoned in the form of defensive tackle Michael Brockers. Brockers put up just four tackles this season, was inactive several times and is the oldest player on the Lions at age 32. His release would come with a dead cap tax of $3.97 million, but could make sense as Detroit tries to get better pieces up front.
Additionally, the Lions could let pending free agents like cornerback Amani Oruwariye and defensive back Will Harris walk, saving them money and allowing them opportunities to negotiate with others on the market.
The Lions have some big decisions to make, and with this scenario in mind, they could always get aggressive to try and open up a major window of contention for the future.