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As we near the beginning of NFL free agency Damon Harrison Jersey White , many teams around the league have some big decisions to make. Teams will want to cut some inflated contracts to have more to spend in the coming months. This means that a lot of talent is about to hit the market, and some of that talent could be put to use in Detroit. Here is a quick list of potential cap cuts that the Lions may want to look into:CB Jimmy Smith - Baltimore RavensJimmy Smith has somehow flown under the radar for casual NFL fans the last few years. Smith was one of the best corners in the NFL for the past few seasons, but injuries hampered him and kept him off the field at times. In 2018, Smith was hit with a four-game suspension to start the year, and the team played well without him. Both Brandon Carr and Tavon Young both did okay in his absence though, and the team can save $9 million this offseason by moving on from Smith.The corner is now 30 years old, though, and has only played two 16-game seasons in his eight-year NFL career. He may be expensive, but if he can stay healthy, he and Darius Slay will form one of the best corner duos in the NFL. Other Options:Robert Alford - The Atlanta Falcons can save $9 million and eat less than a million in dead cap if they move on from the corner. He is now 30 years old and Atlanta may want to find a younger option as they rebuild their defense.Chris Harris - The long-time Broncos corner has clearly lost a step but still can be a formidable CB2. Denver can save around $8 million by moving on from the 29 year old, and depending on how many other players hit the market, he may not be as expensive as one may think. A.J. Bouye - Bouye was arguably the best corner in the NFL in 2017 but he took a huge step back this season as the rest of the Jaguars defense did. The corner does not have the athletic profile of an elite corner, but his coverage instincts and football IQ may be better than any other. Jacksonville can save $9 million by moving on as they are under a rebuild of their own, but a heavy $6 million in dead cap could make the Jags reluctant to cut him. Joe Haden - Haden was once a star for the Cleveland Browns. While his time in Cleveland ended with a whimper, he has quietly been a great player for the Pittsburgh Steelers the past few years. He changed the team’s secondary for the better. This offseason the Steelers have a chance to move on and save $10 million, though Womens Graham Glasgow Jersey , which can be huge for a team who may renovate the entire roster this offseason. Logan Ryan - Ryan was a player on the Detroit Lions radar during free agency in 2017. He, instead, joined the Tennessee Titans and was a member of their extremely expensive and underperforming secondary in 2018. While blaming the team’s issues on Ryan would be harsh, the Titans may want to move on from Ryan, save $10 million and find cheaper options in the defensive backfield. LB Sean Lee - Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys may finally move on from their longtime defensive leader this offseason. Lee’s inability to stay healthy over the year combined with the emergence of the young Leighton Vander Esch as an absolute star may have made Lee expendable at middle linebacker. The linebacker was even a health scratch late in the 2018 season.The Cowboys will save $7 million by moving on from Lee. He may be expensive but Lee’s football IQ, leadership and ability to dominate the middle of the field can revolutionize the Lions defense. He could facilitate Jarrad Davis’ development and even let the younger linebacker move to the outside.Other OptionsBobby Wagner - If the Seattle Seahawks do release Bobby Wagner in order to save $12 million this offseason then the spirit of Henry Ford himself should show up at Wagner’s house with a literal boat full of money. Jamie Collins - Collins was once a star of Matt Patricia’s New England Patriots defense. He regressed after being traded to the Cleveland Browns, but did remain a serviceable player. Cleveland is a young team slowly building a championship contender and can save $9 million by moving on from the aging linebacker. Collins has experience in Patricia’s scheme and will bring starting caliber talent to the Lions front seven. Danny Trevathan - Trevathan was an important member of the Chicago Bears incredible 2018 defense, but with so much talent on that side of the ball and the emergence of Roquan Smith, the Bears may want to move on. Chicago can save $6 million by cutting the off-ball linebacker. Trevathan would bring a great veteran presence to the Lions front seven and can do literally anything Detroit could ask him to as a linebacker in this defense. A.J. Klein - Klein is another versatile off-ball linebacker that can bring a lot to the second level of Detroit’s defense. The emergence of Alex Anzalone and the $4 million the Saints can save from moving on from him could leave him searching for work this offseason, though. He also may not be that expensive, and he has the speed and football IQ to play well against both the run and the pass. EDGE Whitney Mercilus - Houston TexansMercilus is a member of the Texans fearsome defensive front, and while he is great in his own right, he is not quite the talent that is J.J. Watt or Jadeveon Clowney. The edge defender has struggled with health over the past few seasons but has been a great complement to the team’s stars. He had four sacks in 2018 and still can contribute at a high level in the league.Houston may need to spend a fortune to hold on to Clowney, though, and the $6 millionthey can save by releasing Mercilus could go towards retaining their star edge rusher. Mercilus would easily be Detroit’s best edge defender, and he Miles Killebrew Jersey , Devon Kennard and Romeo Okwara would form a fearsome pass rushing room for the Lions.Other OptionOlivier Vernon - Vernon was one of the crown jewels of the New York Giants 2016 defensive free agent haul. While he has been an okay player, he definitely has not played well enough to be worth the $19 million cap hit he is owed next season. New York can move on from him as they rebuild their defense and save $11 million in the process. Vernon has potential to be a huge boon for the Lions defense, although he may be pricey.TE Rob Gronkowski - New England PatriotsBob Quinn and the Detroit Lions very clearly have interest in the Patriots star tight end. The Lions apparently wanted to trade for Gronkowski last offseason but could not get a deal done. Gronkowski had a bit of a down year in 2018, and his long injury history could give the Patriots a reason to move on. New England can save nearly $10 million by releasing him this offseason.Detroit got little production from the tight end this season. Gronkowski would be the elite receiving tight end Matthew Stafford desperately needed this year. Signing him would be a risk, though. He will definitely be a huge investment, and his injury history does not speak well for his week-to-week availability. Other OptionJordan Reed - Another oft-injured tight end could potentially hit the market in the coming months. Reed has been a great talent for Washington since the moment he was drafted, but he has not been able to stay on the field. Washington can move on from the receiving tight end for $6 million, and he could be a more affordable option than Gronkowski. RB Chris Thompson - WashingtonWith Theo Riddick possibly out the door this offseason, the Lions will need to find another shifty receiving option out of the backfield. Washington can save $3 million by moving on from Thompson this offseason. While his release seems unlikely, the running back’s long injury history, the return of Derrius Guice and his pass blocking deficiencies could leave him expendable. Washington may undergo a rebuild sometime soon and may want the extra cap space to make a big move this offseason.Thompson is an upgrade from Riddick in almost every facet outside of pass blocking. He is incredible with the ball in his hand and can even reliably run between the tackles. The running back would be a great complement to Kerryon Johnson and could breathe life into a boring, stagnant, offense. Sitting down for an interview with one of the most intriguing and enigmatic prospects available in this April’s draft means something, right?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Lions NewsDetroit Lions NotesDetroit Lions AnalysisDetroit Lions TransactionsDetroit Lions Game RecapsBreaking NewsIntroducing the 2019 Detroit Lions Draft Class! 脳Detroit Lions RoundtableLions Roundtable: What does Detroit’s formal interview with Kyler Murray mean?New,28commentsSitting down for an interview with one of the most intriguing and enigmatic prospects available in this April’s draft means something, right?ESTShareTweetShareShareLions Roundtable: What does Detroit’s formal interview with Kyler Murray mean?Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY SportsFirst things first Womens T.J. Jones Jersey , if you’re unfamiliar with our roundtable or how it works, check out our archive and some of our most recent discussions from this season:Should Detroit trade Matthew Stafford?Who is the most valuable draft pick of Bob Quinn’s tenure as Lions GM?Are the Lions contenders or pretenders in the race for the NFC North crown?Does the addition of Damon Harrison make Detroit a playoff team?Was trading Golden Tate the right move?Will Detroit’s offense recapture its groove under Jim Bob Cooter?Did Detroit make a mistake in their approach to the 2018 NFL Draft?Fittingly enough, our last roundtable discussion centered on the fate of Matthew Stafford as the team’s quarterback. Trade rumors swirled courtesy of Peter King trying to rectify the Jacksonville Jaguars’ desperate need for someone other than Blake Bortles, but Bob Quinn publicly backed his quarterback at the start of 2019, and that could have been the end of any further discourse on the state of signal caller in Detroit.But the NFL Combine—and Peter King—happened.While King wouldn’t read a lot into Murray interviewing with these teams, everyone else will—including us.What does Detroit’s formal interview with Kyler Murray mean?Ryan Mathews: When I heard the news Detroit had met with Murray, I thought nothing more of it than a team, with a draft pick in the top 10, doing what should be done, no matter what clich茅 you want to tag to it. Bob Quinn and Co. are doing their homework, feigning interest, setting up a smokescreen, whatever. There’s as close to a zero chance the Lions draft Murray at No. 8 to be their quarterback as numerically possible.Now, D.K. Metcalf on the other hand...Jeremy Reisman: Yeah, I’m not buying anything here. I get that when you combine this news with the quote from Bob Quinn at the season ticket holder event (“If there’s a quarterback out there that we deem could help us this year or in the future, we’ll never close the door on that”) it sure sounds like drafting Murray is a possibility.But the smokescreen is in full effect here. Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia couldn’t have been more clear in their praise Darius Slay Jersey White , respect and unwavering support for Matthew Stafford in the past year. Now, suddenly, they’re putting on the face of a team potentially looking for a quarterback in the first? Give me a break. They obviously benefit from looking like a team that wants a quarterback, so kudos to them for going the whole nine yards here.Hamza Baccouche: WHAT’S UP, GANG. Everybody grab your pitchforks, the takes are coming in hot today. Short term: I don’t think there’s much to take away, but I’m going to go on a hunch here and think this means the Lions are much more interested in taking a quarterback in the draft than we may realize. There isn’t a lot of top-tier talent, but lots of guys stuffed in the fourth- to fifth-round talent tier and I think the Lions may grab someone there, earlier than expected. I would especially expect that should the Lions trade back and accumulate lots of Day 2-3 picks in one of the deeper drafts in recent memory. I’m personally a big fan of Easton Stick and would love to see him in Detroit. Long term: This is Bob Quinn and Galaxy Brain (Matt Patricia) playing the long game. Meet with Kyler, who the Lions would never draft, this year, that way next year when the Lions are moving on from Stafford and they meet with every top quarterback in the draft next year they can fool nobody by saying they’re ‘just doing due diligence.’ Then, at his combine press conference, someone asks about the Lions’ commitment to Stafford, Bob Quinn assures them he’s their quarterback, and just like that he is given the kiss of death. Not 48 hours later Barry Sanders Jersey White , Twitter explodes as news breaks that the Lions have dealt Stafford and two firsts to the Denver Broncos for the second overall pick and a Von Miller who has just come off a down season and doesn’t fit in the Broncos’ Joe Flacco- and Case Keenum-stuffed salary cap. They draft Tua Tagovailoa and ride off into the sunset on a Ford F-150 with Martha Ford in the back. I’m done. Jeremy: Someone is starting the Spring Break drinking a little early. How are they going to trade Stafford after his 2019 MVP Award-winning season?Ryan: Okay, so as far as turns I didn’t expect this to take, I did not foresee Von Miller becoming a part of the Lions defense in 2020 as a result of the team meeting with Kyler Murray this weekend. Congratulations, Hamza, you’re intergalactic with your brain.Hamza: Thank you good sir. Back to our regularly scheduled programming.Jeremy: Okay, it’s worth noting that it’s not like the only motive here is subterfuge. NFL teams get 60 of these formal interviews at the Combine, meaning they can meet with almost one-fifth of the players at the event. Why not get to know a top-10 prospect a little better? It can give you a better idea of when he may get taken, and it could even be a little early scouting in case a team Detroit plays in 2019 ends up taking him.Andrew Kato: From a game theoretic perspective, I believe what Jeremy is saying here is the most likely interpretation. The Lions are sitting in a relatively high draft position with high stakes. As such, they need to know as much as possible about the players who may be taken ahead of Detroit because that tells them a lot about the players who will be available when their selection comes up. Murray is regarded as a potential first-round pick but has all kinds of question marks around his status.Bob Quinn and his staff need to know the answers to the questions even if they are not interested in drafting Murray because they need to know how other teams will view Murray. The best way to obtain that information is to meet with him yourself and put him through the motions that you know those other teams would. This is not the same as feigning interest or even doing due diligence on potential prospects to select, but would be part of a more holistic draft strategy that has to consider the entire board.