Inside the Article:
The Detroit Lions 2022 season is in the books, and general manager Brad Holmes has already shifted gears to the upcoming off-season. As it currently stands, according to Spotrac, the Lions have roughly $18 million in cap space, with is the 11th-most in the NFL. Though the Lions are in decent shape when it comes to cap space, they could more than double up on that space by making a few moves.
Why it matters
According to Spotrac, the Lions currently have exactly $18,109,106 in cap space. But, we have to remember that the Lions will also have to set aside a big chunk of that money to sign the players they select in the 2023 NFL Draft. In fact, the Lions will have to pay a total of over $8 million combined to the No. 6 pick and the No. 18 pick. Because of that, the Lions could certainly stand to make a few moves that would more than double their cap space.
- The lions currently have $18,109,106 in cap space
- Over $8 million of that cap space will go to the No. 6 pick and the No. 18 pick
- The Lions can more than double their cap space by making a trio of roster moves
3 roster moves that would double the Detroit Lions’ cap space
If the Lions want to more than double up their current salary cap space, they could move on from the following three veterans.
*All Pre-June 1 cuts
- DT Michael Brockers – Cap Savings of ~ $10 million
- DE Charles Harris – Cap Savings of ~ $4 million
- OG Halapoulivaati Vaitai – Cap Savings of ~ $6.5 million
Bottom Line
When it comes down to it, I believe Brockers and Harris are as good as gone. But as far as Vaitai goes, I would not be surprised at all to see the Lions give him one more shot. When healthy, Holmes and Campbell love him on the offensive line, and there is no question about it that Vaitai is a great mentor for Penei Sewell.