The Detroit Lions are making moves during the NFL free agency, and on Wednesday, March 11, they made what was a somewhat surprising decision and released a former second-round pick.
Of course, the free agency period is packed with head-scratching and surprise moves. But, that doesn’t make them any less unexpected. The moral is to prepare for anything.
So, on Wednesday, the team parted ways with defensive lineman Josh Paschal, and the player is now available to sign with any other NFL team. The Detroit Lions announced Paschal’s release after the 2026 league year started at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
One of the obvious reasons for the move was that cutting ties with Paschal clears cap space of just over $1.75 million for the 2026-27 season. His original contract with the team was a four-year, $7.73 million deal with $4.13 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac research.
The Lions drafted Paschal in 2022 as a second-round pick and played in 40 games for the team in the regular season. Unfortunately, he missed the entire 2025 season due to a back injury. He was also open about dealing with cancer during his time with the Lions and shared his inspiring story on a regular basis. During his time with the Detroit Lions, Paschal had 69 tackles, five sacks and two fumble recoveries.
In an unrelated move, the Detroit Lions also formalized that they’ve acquired offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, a 2026 4th-round pick and a 2027 7th-round pick from the Texans, for running back David Montgomery.
The State of the Detroit Lions’ Defense
Heading into the 2026-27 season, the Detroit Lions have just Hutchinson, Tyler Lacy and Ahmed Hassanein under contract at this position. They let Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad become unrestricted free agents, and they also let Tyrus Wheat walk, the latter who signed with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday.
So, the Lions could always make a big move to bring on edge Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders. He’s available again after the news that the Baltimore Ravens have backed out of their deal to acquire Crosby.
The original deal was to trade the five-time Pro-Bowl defensive end to the Ravens in exchange for 2026 and 2027 first-round picks. So, the Detroit Lions would have to give up a lot to get Crosby to Detroit, but it may be worth it. He’s be an exciting pair to edge Aidan Hutchinson.
Dan Campbell is Serious About Setting the Detroit Lions Straight
Following the Detroit Lions’ final game of the regular season in January against the Chicago Bears, Campbell talked about the faith he has in this team. He also made it clear that he believes they can excel, but they have work to do.
“We’ll know some things just watching the tape about how some of these guys, particularly some of the young guys. But, the guys that I knew we could count on showed up again, you know, one more time, which didn’t surprise me one bit,” he said regarding the win.
Campbell added, “You know, I still believe the nucleus of this team is right. I really do. But we are going to need to make a few changes. Not just talking about that. It will be collectively. We’re going to have to work through some things to get the best version of ourselves.”
Lions Cut Ties With $7.7 Million Player in Free Agency Move