An update on the Lions’ salary cap situation following the wave of FA signings

0
288
NFL: Combine
Mar 1, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn speaks to the media during the 2017 NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into this offseason, there were very clear expectations and ideas for what general manager Bob Quinn needed to do in order to improve the team.

With each team allotted a salary cap of $167 million, there was plenty of room to make a couple of moves in free agency in order to shore up some areas on the team. However, to say that Quinn did just that might be an understatement.

So far, the team has been busy. He is a look at how the roster has changed since the end of the season.

LIONS FREE AGENT SIGNINGS

The team also re-signed both DT Khryi Thornton (two years, $3.3 million) and offensive lineman Cornelius Lucas (restricted free agent tender).

With all these moves, the NFLPA’s public salary cap report currently has the Lions at a cool $162,548,027 committed to their roster for the upcoming season, leaving them with $8,584,004 left in cap space. That number will increase on June 1, when the team receives a bit of relief on the cap hit of former linebacker DeAndre Levy, whose dead money cap hit will at that point be spread out over the 2017 and ’18 season.

Despite the fact that there isn’t a bunch of wiggle room left, signing the team’s upcoming draft class should not be a problem. Only the top 51 contracts on the team are counted against the cap in the offseason, and for every new contract that cracks the top 51, another drops out.

It would probably be wise for the Lions to save some salary cap room for the season as well, since the unfortunate event of injuries are inevitable. But at this time, the team sits in a pretty decent spot in the salary cap department.